THE   FILIBUSTERS 


FILIBUSTERS 

A    ROMANCE 

By 

k^r^S  J*^  ^  vOr>*  (  t 

*  CUTCLIFFE/HYNE 

Author  of 
"The  Adventures  of  Captain  Kettle,"  etc. 

This  story  deals  with  the  participants  in  an  expe- 
dition that  successfully  captures  the  presidency  of  a 
Central  American  republic.  It  is  very  exciting,  the 
incidents  being  fresh  and  daring  with  not  too  much 
reliance  placed  on  coincidence. 


NEW  YORK 

Frederick   A.   Stokes    Company 
Pu  blishers 


Copyright,  1900, 
By  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company. 


CONTENTS 


OHAPTKR  PAGE 

I.  THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT i 

II.  A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION 13 

III.  THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT 28 

IV.  WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY 45 

V.  A  DUET  IN  CANON 58 

VI.  THE  LADY  OF  WIT  WITH  THE  MASK.  . .  71 

VII.  INITIA  BELLI 85 

VIII.  FREE  WOMEN 98 

IX.  OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS 113 

X.  A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT  ONES.  ...  128 

XI.  POLITICS  AND  A  PLAIN  GOLD  RING 143 

XII.  THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES 157 

XIII.  PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT 171 

XIV.  FATHER  JUPE 186 

XV.  AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE 202 

XVI.  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA.   ...  217 

XVII.  OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY 236 

XVIII.  SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE 254 

XIX.  H.  M.  S.  RABBIT 270 

XX.  THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA 290 

XXI.  THE  END  OF  CAREW'S  GUERILLAS 305 

XXII.  FLOREAT  SACARONDUCA 321 


2130013 


THE  FILIBUSTERS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   FIRST   ENLISTMENT 

THROUGHOUT  the  event  narrated  in  the  follow-- 
ing  history  there  were  two  Influences  at  work, 
which,  counting  from  start  to  finish,  we  regarded 
with  a  very  different  set  of  emotions. 

At  first,  being  ignorant  of  their  bare  existence, 
we  ignored  them  with  all  completeness.  We  had 
confidence  in  our  wit,  and  the  strength  of  our  own 
right  hands,  and  felt  fear  for  no  man  living. 

Next,  having  the  work  of  the  Influences  vio- 
lently thrust  against  our  wishes  and  our  welfare, 
or,  again,  pulling  in  our  favour,  we  considered 
them  with  awe  and  some  fright,  as  men  must  do 
things  which  shoot  mysterious  arrows  and  boons 
out  of  nothingness. 

But  afterwards,  when  we  saw  their  fingers 
gripped  on  all  the  Master-strings,  and  knew  with 
precision  what  manner  of  creatures  they  were, 

then  we  came  to  look  upon  the  Influences  with 

i 


2  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  two  extremes  of  sentiment  this  day  known  to 
men.  When  the  Influence  was  adverse,  we  classed 
it  with  the  worst  of  things  diabolic ;  but  when  it 
aided  us,  an  enthusiasm  spirited  up  in  us  that  was 
near  akin  to  worship. 

We  did  not  act  on  precedent  in  this,  as  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  precedent  to  draw  from. 
Our  minds  worked  as  our  natures  drove  them ; 
human-wise,  that  is;  and  because  the  Influences 
themselves  were  intensely  human  in  the  least  as  in 
the  greatest  of  their  efforts,  nothing  happened 
which  might  not  have  been  altogether  expected. 
But  it  was  only,  after  all,  the  ties  which  bound 
us  to  Sacaronduca  had  been  woven,  ravelled,  and 
finally  broken  for  always,  that  we  thoroughly 
understood  this.  No  man  can  judge  calmly  and 
without  prejudice  when  he  is  acting  as  a  hot 
partisan  in  a  furnace  of  action. 

Now,  not  counting  Briggs,  who  was  inscrutable, 
we  five  who  considered  ourselves  in  the  know 
clearly  understood  that  Holsteins  were  backing 
the  revolution.  Of  course,  there  is  nothing  very 
peculiar  in  that.  Holsteins  are  the  greatest  finan- 
cial house  in  the  world ;  have  a  headquarters  in 
each  capital  of  Europe  (except  St.  Petersburg); 
and  hold  a  say  in  every  war  which  is  fought 
throughout  the  world.  They  carry  no  arms,  be- 
ing Israelites ;  but  they  command  all  things  and 
all  men  concerned,  by  reason  of  holding  the  nee- 


THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT  3 

essary  purse.  On  the  surface  they  do  not  appear; 
and  the  Kings  and  the  Emperors  and  the  Presi- 
dents blow  the  war-trumpet  with  their  own  lips. 
But  it  is  virtually  one  of  the  Barons  Holstein  who 
says  to  the  nations,  "  Ye  have  my  leave  to  fly  at 
one  another's  throats  :  here  be  stores  of  gold  and 
silver,"  or,  "  Ye  shall  have  no  money  with  which 
to  fight :  wherefore  keep  ye  the  peace." 

With  Holsteins,  the  revolution  was  to  be  a 
matter  of  speculative  business.  Their  reward — 
in  case  of  our  success — was  to  be  concession  of 
territory  for  a  railway,  and  extensive  mining 
rights ;  so  that  if  the  thing  came  off  with  a  win, 
they  would  have  the  happiness  of  adding  a  few 
more  paltry  millions  to  their  ponderous  capital. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  existing  Government  of 
Sacaronduca  proved  too  strong  for  the  revolution- 
ary forces,  then  Holsteins  would  drop  a  consider- 
able amount  of  hard  cash. 

Looking  at  the  matter  in  the  light  of  after- 
knowledge,  of  course  I  see  now  that  one  of  our  actu- 
ating Influences  must  have  been  very  hard  at  work 
in  getting  Holsteins  to  meddle  with  the  business 
at  all ;  seeing  that  (from  their  point  of  view)  it  was 
so  very  like  a  gamble  as  to  be  scarcely  worth  the 
name  of  speculation  in  any  degree  whatever.  But 
this  did  not  strike  us  when  we  of  the  executive 
had  our  preliminary  meetings  in  Briggs'  room  at 
the  Metropole  in  London.  We  were  most  of  us 
extremely  sweet  on  the  chances  of  revolution 


4  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

then,  arid  vented  sarcasm  on  Hebraic  hardness 
over  driving  bargains. 

But  at  the  same  time  we  were  not  fools  enough 
to  go  about  feeling  too  disgustingly  cocksure 
that  we  should  bring  about  a  win.  In  fact  the  ex- 
citement of  all  of  us  was  kept  bubbling  by  the 
volcanic  uncertainty  of  the  thing.  Fluellen,  in 
particular,  though  quite  the  keenest  of  us  for  go- 
ing forward,  took  a  gloomy  view  of  the  chances 
from  the  very  beginning.  As  General  Briggs 
clearly  put  it  to  us,  we  mercenaries  would  be  the 
principal  persons  to  pay  the  piper  in  the  case  of 
non-success.  That  part  of  the  world  does  not 
produce  the  climate  which  nourishes  half-meas- 
ures. If  we  got  defeated  and  did  not  happen  to 
be  comfortably  killed  beforehand,  we  should  have 
small  favour  to  expect  from  President  Maxillo 
when  he  contrived  to  lay  hands  upon  us.  He 
was  a  man  half-Spanish,  half-Indian ;  reared 
amongst  the  crackle  of  Central  American  revo- 
lutions ;  merciless  as  a  Thug.  If  we  succeeded,  we 
could  dub  ourselves  by  any  name  that  pleased  us 
in  the  dictionary  ;  but  in  the  event  of  failure,  we 
should  rank  as  filibusters,  as  land-pirates  of  the 
baser  sort,  and  the  Government  of  Great  Britain  and 
all  the  other  Governments  on  earth  would  thank 
the  Dictator  of  Sacaronduca  for  stamping  us  out. 

Briggs,  who  was  our  president  designate — Don 
Esteban  Puentos,  they  called  him  in  Sacaronduca 
— Briggs,  I  say,  made  no  disguise  about  the 


THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT  5 

matter.  He  said  on  the  day  that  we  signed  our 
formal  agreements  with  him  :  "  I  warn  you  gen- 
tlemen clearly  what  there  is  to  look  forward  to. 
The  existing  Government  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  successful  brigand's  camp.  This  is 
no  exaggeration :  it  is  a  notorious  fact.  If  we 
upset  the  present  rulers  and  bring  about  a  state 
of  things  more  in  accordance  with  common  hon- 
esty and  healthy  progress,  there  will  be  no  words 
too  good  for  us.  The  country  is  brimming  with 
possibilities,  but  so  far  it  has  never  had  a  chance 
ever  since  the  first  white  man  came  to  cumber  the 
soil.  If  a  Sacaronducan  shows  energy  and  enter- 
prise, and  puts  money  together,  or  founds  a 
business,  or  starts  a  mine,  all  his  neighbours 
promptly  take  a  grab  at  the  plunder,  and  the  Gov- 
ernment naggles  for  the  biggest  share.  No  man 
has  a  chance  to  exert  his  strength  on  legitimate 
lines.  And  so  the  strong  man  who  means  to  go 
ahead,  has  only  one  opening  before  him.  Circum- 
stances will  not  let  him  be  honest ;  and  conse- 
quently he  aspires  to  be  as  big  a  rogue  as  possi- 
ble. As  a  result  all  the  able  men  of  the  country 
adopt  the  harrying  of  their  neighbours  as  their 
natural  profession. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  I  am  no  propounder  of  a 
thousand  niggling  laws.  I  believe  in  men  doing 
much  as  they  please  within  reasonable  limits. 
But  there  are  limits,  and  Sacaronduca  treads  over 
them.  If  I  get  my  grip  on  the  country,  I  shall 


6  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

stop  that  little  game  without  a  vignette.  I  shall 
make  no  pretence  of  letting  them  down  gently. 
That  would  be  merely  a  confession  of  weak-mind- 
edness. One  cannot  act  there  according  to  any 
European  code  of  ethics:  'autre  pays,  autre 
mceurs.'  So,  gentlemen,  I  shall  apply  the  only 
argument  understanded  of  the  people,  and  shoot 
the  worst  cases  out  of  hand. 

"  As  a  result,  the  country  will  leap  at  its  chance, 
and  improve  with  a  rush.  The  Sacaronducans 
themselves  will  open  it  out  much,  and  our  fellows 
whom  we  bring  with  us  will  open  it  out  still 
more.  And  the  outside  world  will  see  that  a 
Central  American  Republic  need  not  of  necessity 
be  a  helpless  seething  volcano  of  anarchy. 

"  There  is  risk  about  all  this,  of  course,  but  I 
think  that  my  friends  out  there,  with  your  help, 
gentlemen,  can  bring  it  to  pass.  If  we  are  suc- 
cessful, the  natives  who  help  will  be  called  pa- 
triots, you  will  be  high-minded  military  philan- 
thropists, and  I  shall  be  numbered  amongst  the 
world's  great  liberators.  Only  a  few  newspapers 
who  do  not  understand  or  who  are  interested  in 
the  other  party  will  yap.  But  if  we  are  beaten, 
you  must  understand  clearly  what  will  happen. 
We  shall  be  bloody-minded  rebels  and  murderous 
filibusters.  If  once  we  step  on  to  the  planks  of 
that  pillory,  there  are  not  ten  people  in  the 
world  who  will  not  join  in  the  howl  against  us." 

The  head  of  the  revolution  paused,  glancing 


THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT  7 

his  grey  eyes  keenly  from  one  to  the  other  of  us. 
Most  of  us  found  plenty  of  occupation  in  digest- 
ing what  he  had  said.  It  was  Coffin  who  broke 
the  silence. 

"  It's  best  so,  General,"  he  said  cheerfully. 
"As  things  are,  we're  being  ridden  on  the  spur, 
and  so  we're  likely  either  to  get  there  or  bust.  I 
take  it  that's  the  way  to  handle  this  event. 
There's  no  consolation  prize  to  look  for  except  a 
platoon  or  a  cable  of  hempen  tow  and  a  tree,  or, 
perhaps,  to  be  more  local,  '  el  garrote.'  And  in 
that  case  it's  mere  foolishness  to  insure  oneself 
so  as  to  have  something  left  for  the  next  event. 
Once  we  start  its  '  vestigia  nulla  retrorsum,' 
fortunes  or  funerals,  unlimited  shooting,  and  a 
price  on  your  head.  General,  you've  offered  me 
the  first  bit  of  excitement  in  all  creation,  and  I'm 
just  filled  up  with  delight  at  the  thought  of  it. 
I'll  drink  to  it  this  minute.  No,  not  champagne. 
It's  too  good  a  thing,  this  of  yours,  to  wish  luck 
to  in  the  best  champagne  that  was  ever  wired. 
By  your  leave  I'll  be  true  to  my  country,  and 
mix  myself  a  whisky  and  soda,  and  do  proper 
justice  to  you  in  that." 

He  went  to  the  sideboard  and  returned  to  the 
table  with  a  hissing  tumbler-load.  He  put  one 
foot  on  a  chair  and  thrust  the  glass  of  liquor 
high  in  the  air.  "  Gentlemen."  he  cried,  "  I  call 
upon  you  to  drink  in  bumpers  to  General 
Briggs  and  a  blazing  revolution." 


8  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

His  enthusiasm  set  the  match  to  ours.  We,  too, 
sprang  up,  with  leaping  glasses  ;  and  the  face  of 
the  man  we  drank  flushed  with  pride  and  pleasure. 
But  he  did  not  say  anything.  He  nodded  gravely, 
and  lit  a  fresh  cigar. 

It  was  Davis  who  put  in  the  next  word.  "  May 
I  inquire,  sir,"  he  said,  "a  little  more  about  the 
social  aspect  of  this  business  ?  In  cases  of  success, 
shall  we  find  an  assured  position  in  Sacaronducan 
society  ?  " 

I  saw  Coffin  cock  his  eye  at  Carew,  and  under- 
stood the  grin  which  passed  between  them.  The 
question  was  very  typical  of  Davis.  He  was  des- 
perately bent  on  bettering  himself  socially. 

Briggs,  of  course,  took  the  man  quite  earnestly. 
He  had  a  faculty  of  doing  this  when  he  chose, 
and  it  gave  him  much  of  his  power.  He  appre- 
ciated the  fact  that  anyone  may  resent  ridicule, 
but  that  many  people  are  willing  to  pay  in  service 
for  sympathy  and  appreciation  ;  and  being  a  wise 
man,  he  neglected  no  means  which  might  tend  to 
further  his  ends. 

"You  may  rest  assured,  Mr.  Davis,"  he  said, 
"  that  I  shall  not  be  forgetful  in  that  respect. 
Hitherto  the  presidents  of  Sacaronduca  have  acted 
with  the  instincts  of  brigands,  and  their  manners 
have  been  formed  so  as  not  to  spoil  the  complete- 
ness of  the  part.  They  have  been  vulgar  assassins 
and  even  more  vulgar  housekeepers.  To  my  way 
of  thinking  these  are  both  criminal  errors  in  a 


THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT  9 

ruler — especially  the  latter  of  the  two.  The  pomp 
and  formalities  of  a  court  lend  dignity  to  a  State, 
and  to  neglect  them  is  a  piece  of  commercial 
fatuousness.  More  is  done  for  a  Government  in 
the  drawing-rooms  of  society  than  with  all  the 
rifles  that  were  ever  put  into  the  field  ;  and  it  is 
to  help  me  in  this  respect  that  I  have  selected  my 
officers,  quite  as  much  as  for  their  other  abilities." 

"  I  suppose,  sir,"  said  Davis  tentatively,  "  you 
would  hardly  think  it  worth  while  to  institute 
titles  of  nobility  ?  At  present,  that  is  ?  " 

"  Why,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  Mr.  Davis,  the 
idea  had  not  struck  me  before.  But  I  admit  that 
it  has  its  good  points.  What  do  you  say,  Sir 
William?" 

Carew  was  filling  his  pipe.  He  continued  the 
operation  as  he  spoke :  "  Oh,  as  far  as  I'm  con- 
cerned, damn  titles.  They  don't  bring  in  half  as 
much  money  as  they  help  you  to  pay  out,  and 
they  often  make  people  stare  at  the  precise  mo- 
ments when  you  don't  want  to  be  looked  at.  But  I 
believe  some  varieties  of  flats  like  wearing  'em, 
and  I  don't  see  they  do  any  particular  harm  to 
anybody  else.  But  I  say,  General,  the  prospect 
of  never-ending  afternoon  teas  isn't  quite  what  I 
look  forward  to  for  the  balance  of  my  declining 
years.  And  I  don't  think  I  should  find  a  succes- 
sion of  levees  and  State  balls  exhilarating  even  in 
Sacaronduca.  I've  got  much  more  material  am- 
bitions. What  I  want  to  know  is,  where  does  the 


io  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

plunder  come  in?  Hugh,  I  say,  chuck  me  the 
matches.  I've  been  in  a  state  of  stoney-broke 
ever  since  I  couldn't  pay  my  tuck-shop  bill  at 
dame-school,  and  I  don't  mind  telling  you  (without 
the  least  ornamental  trimming  to  the  statement) 
that  what  I'm  joining  your  racket  for,  is  what  I 
can  make  out  of  it.  The  titles,  Davis  may  collect 
to  his  heart's  content ;  the  honour  and  glory  you 
may  split  amongst  you  ;  so  long  as  I  can  get  my 
cargo  of  dollars,  I  shall  be  entirely  content.  I'm 
not  fastidious,  'mon  General.'  I'm  the  least  care- 
ful man  about  my  skin  in  all  England,  Fluellen 
not  excepted  ;  I'm  not  in  the  smallest  bit  squeam- 
ish about  dirtying  my  fingers  over  the  opera- 
tion ;  but  if  I'm  to  turn  soldier  of  fortune  under 
your  aegis,  it  is  in  return  for  a  clear  opportunity 
to  loot." 

"  Here,"  said  Coffin,  "  are  the  matches.  Light 
your  pipe,  Billy,  and  shut  your  mouth  round  the 
end  of  it.  You  are  a  most  abominable  pirate  if 
one  could  believe  what  you  say.  General,  don't 
mind  him  :  the  creature  isn't  half  such  a  blackguard 
as  he  tries  to  make  out." 

Briggs  laughed.  "  If  we  were  entirely  honest," 
he  said,  "  wouldn't  we  most  of  us  have  to  confess 
that  we  were  going  into  the  business  because  we 
want  to  make  something  out  of  it  ?  Some  of  us 
desire  power ;  some  excitement.  Others  aspire 
for  position  ;  others  again  for  a  money  compe- 
tency." He  glanced  at  Fluellen,  and  then  turned 


THE  FIRST  ENLISTMENT  n 

his  gaze  rather  ostentatiously  away  from  him. 
"  And,"  he  added,  "  I  can  imagine,  gentlemen, 
that  more  than  one  man  will  throw  himself  heart 
and  soul  into  all  the  risks  and  strivings  of  our 
enterprise  from  no  other  motive  than  to  make  a 
series  of  entirely  new  interests,  and  to  cut  himself 
away  from  memories  of  unpleasant  things  which 
have  gone  before.  So  you  can  say  we  are  none 
of  us  disinterested.  Indeed,  a  man  who  came 
into  an  affair  of  this  sort  without  some  definite 
personal  motive  would  be  nothing  short  of  an 
idiot.  And,"  the  General  concluded  with  a  dry 
smile,  "  I  am  not  an  idiot  myself,  neither  do  I 
offer  employment  to  idiots." 

"By  Jove,"  said  Coffin,  "if  this  is  to  be  a  de- 
clared game,  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  save  myself 
from  being  classed  as  an  idiot  by  saying  what  I'm 
after,  though  on  my  soul  I'd  never  thought  of 
such  a  small  trifle  before.  Better  put  me  down 
for  loot,  too,  General.  Me  family's  too  old  to 
take  up  a  bran  new  title  with  a  decent  grace,  and 
as  for  making  me  Governor-General  of  a  province, 
or  Prime  Minister,  or  Master  of  the  Horse,  I'm 
afraid  the  regular  hours  wouldn't  suit  at  all.  I 
like  to  take  my  occupations  pretty  highly  spiced, 
and  I  like  to  take  them  in  doses  when  the  fancy 
comes  upon  me.  So,  General,  dear,  we'll  write 
it  down  that  I'm  after  money.  I'm  not  so  broke 
as  Billy  here,  and  I  seem  to  have  worried  along 
pretty  comfortably  on  just  double  my  income  since 


I 


12  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

I  was  twenty-one,  and  that's  eight  years  ago  now  ; 
but  if  I  could  double  what  I  have,  why,  then,  I 
could  quadruple  what  I  spend,  and  have  six  times 
as  high  a  time  of  it." 

The  General  laughed  and  nodded,  and  said  he 
would  remember,  and  I,  sitting  near  him,  mar- 
.velled  within  myself  as  to  why  he  had  made  this 
cheery,  irresponsible,  whisky-drinking,  sport- 
adoring  little  Irishman  into  one  of  his  principal 
officers.  To  my  limited  vision  then,  the  man 
seemed  a  mere  piece  of  laughing  incompetence, 
possessed  of  a  delicious  untrustworthiness,  and 
nothing  else.  But  afterwards,  when  the  fighting 
came,  he  turned  out  to  be  as  clever  and  cunning 
and  desperately  brave  an  officer  as  any  com- 
mander might  wish  to  have,  besides  being  a 
diplomatist  of  no  mean  order,  and  the  best 
compounder  of  devilled  anchovies  inside  the 
tropic  of  Cancer. 


CHAPTER  II 

A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION 

FLUELLEN  always  breakfasted  off  cigarettes  in 
bed,  but  when  we  others  had  finished  our  meal 
next  morning  he  joined  us  in  Briggs'  room  at  the 
Metropole,  and  listened  to  the  final  discussion. 
He  did  not  talk,  but  sat  in  a  cane  rocker,  with  a 
hundred  box  of  cigarettes  at  his  elbow,  lighting 
each  new  one  on  the  glowing  stump  of  the  last, 
and  consuming  exactly  fifteen  to  the  hour.  But 
then  his  moustache  was  rather  long,  and  he  did 
not  smoke  the  ends  down  very  close.  He  was  a 
big-boned,  dark-faced  fellow,  with  a  great  pucker 
of  wrinkles,  which  perched  between  his  eyebrows, 
and  which  only  lifted  when  the  risks  of  the  expe- 
dition were  touched  upon.  You  could  not  say 
that  he  showed  enthusiasm  even  then ;  he  still 
looked  ineffably  bored  and  weary;  but  a  glint 
lighted  up  in  his  black  eyes  (when  in  our  talk  at 
the  table  the  chance  of  violent  action  was  spread 
out  before  him)  which  hinted  at  a  magazine  of 
brazen  recklessness  stored  up  somewhere  within  his 
listless  body,  which  would  blaze  out  like  lighted 
gunpowder  when  the  time  came  to  touch  it  off. 

But  I  am  afraid  that  in  that  last  morning's 

13 


I4  THE  FILIBUSTERS  \ 

palaver  there  was  much  which  Fluellen  must  have 
found  intensely  wearisome.  Carew  wanted  to 
know  with  precision  where  his  particular  share  of 
the  plunder  was  coming  from,  and  on  the  financial 
profits  of  the  revolution  we  talked  for  two  solid 
hours.  Then  Davis  harked  back  to  social  matters, 
and,  finally,  out  of  one  thing  and  another,  Briggs 
thought  it  best  to  lay  before  us  a  sketch  of  the 
entire  scheme  of  policy  which  he  had  mapped  out, 
and  the  reasons  which  had  brought  him  to  think 
it  the  best  for  Sacaronduca. 

"  As  a  youngster,"  the  General  began,  "  I  was 
brought  up  in  England  (or  rather  in  Yorkshire), 
and  I  commenced  life  with  a  strong  inherited 
Toryism.  I  cannot  say  I  kept  to  the  creed  very 
long.  I  began  early  to  see  that,  do  what  they 
would,  my  party  could  not  hinder  their  oppo- 
nents from  fettering  every  wish  and  every  move- 
ment of  the  people  by  Act  of  Parliament.  Your 
Radicals  wished  to  prevent  the  Briton  from  work- 
ing more  than  eight  hours  a  day,  from  amassing 
wealth  beyond  a  certain  limit,  from  going  to  a 
theatre  when  he  chose,  or  even  from  getting  com- 
fortably drunk  when  the  whim  so  seized  him. 
They  wanted  to  make  him  moral  under  penalties, 
according  to  their  own  arbitrary  code  of  morality, 
and  if  they  ground  all  the  pleasure  out  of  his  life 
during  the  process,  that  was  a  detail  which  never 
worried  them. 

"  I  knew  the  Conservatives  would  always  con- 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        15 

tinue  to  fight  against  this  narrow  tyranny  ;  but 
their  chief  strategy  seemed  to  be  in  butting  off 
each  new  and  obnoxious  measure  by  bringing  in 
another  which  was  only  a  trifle  less  noxious ;  so 
that  laws  were  heaped  upon  laws  till  the  wretched 
country  groaned  under  the  great  burden  which  it 
had  created  out  of  nothingness  to  wear  like  a 
caugne  upon  its  own  shoulders." 

He  paused  and  I  looked  up.  His  face  was  set 
and  serious.  Presently  he  went  on  again. 

"  I  pictured  circumstances  which  might  arise 
for  myself  or  other  people,  and  every  way  the 
arm  of  some  law  would  be  thrust  out  which 
cramped  one's  efforts.  And  every  session  other 
laws  were  being  made.  They  sprouted  up  like 
some  hideous  paling  all  round  one.  Every  day 
they  grew  closer  in  rank  ;  every  day  more  stifling. 
I  could  not  breathe.  I  had  no  air;  there  was 
nothing  around  me  but  laws,  laws,  laws ;  and  more 
laws ;  everywhere  laws. 

"You  may  think  this  fanciful,  gentlemen  ;  in 
part  I  do  myself,  now  looking  back  on  those  early 
days  from  this  hill  of  after-knowledge  ;  but  I  felt 
what  I  say  to  be  very  real  then.  I  felt  frightened  ; 
I  lost  my  head  ;  I  adopted  the  principles  of  an- 
archy as  the  only  chance  of  salvation." 

The  General  paused  again  and  smiled. 

"  Of  course  it  was  a  wild  dive,  and  my  friends 
in  England  laughed,  and  very  rightly  called  me  a 
maniac.  But  I  was  stubborn,  and  their  ridicule 


16  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

galled  me.  I  was  not  poor  :  I  was  not  dependent 
upon  my  business ;  so  I  sold  out,  and  went  to 
South  and  Central  America,  where  anarchy 
(under  perhaps  other  names)  has  always  held  a 
multitude  of  courts." 

Again  the  General  glanced  round  and  delivered 
himself  of  a  dry  smile.  His  valet  knocked  at  the 
door  and  brought  in  a  letter.  He  glanced  it 
through,  frowned,  and  proceeded. 

"  I  cannot  say  that  practical  rampart  anarchy 
is  without  its  drawbacks.  In  the  first  place  it 
weeds  the  community  too  indiscriminately  with 
bullets,  and  in  the  second,  all  men  are  so  keenly 
on  the  lookout  to  get  in  their  shot  before  the 
other  man  can  fire,  that  they  have  no  leisure  for 
other  interests,  and  various  useful  kinds  of  busi- 
ness in  consequence  languish.  In  fact,  the  one 
extreme  of  no  laws  is  rather  worse  than  the  other 
of  too  many. 

"  As  an  outcome  of  this  experience,  I  propose 
to  establish  in  Sacaronduca  what  may  be  de- 
scribed as  a  happy  mean.  I  shall  make  it  penal 
to  kill,  forge,  steal,  or  conspire  against  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  the  man  who  observes  these  four 
primitive  canons  may  do  all  other  things  entirely 
as  he  pleases.  He  may  gamble,  he  may  lie  ;  he 
may  open  a  public-house  and  keep  it  open  till  he 
is  tired  of  selling;  he  may  divorce  his  own  wife 
and  marry  his  neighbour's,  if  the  other  parties 
concerned  do  not  hinder  him. 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        17 

"  Of  course,  there  are  fools  who  will  take  the 
advantage  of  a  freedom  like  this  to  be  debauched, 
and  swindled,  and  ruined  in  every  way.  Some 
of  these  will  die.  Others  will  become  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water.  They  will  stand  out 
a  caste  to  themselves,  and  very  highly  coloured, 
and  a  grim  example  '  pour  encourager  les  autres.' 
They  will  have  their  use  :  others  will  say  to  them- 
selves, '  My  friend,  you  must  never  become  a 
person  like  this.  You  must  use  your  wits  and 
your  thews,  and  succeed  as  brilliantly  as  may 
be.' 

"  You  see,  gentlemen,  I  do  not  aspire  to  making 
a  resting-place  for  weaklings.  There  will  be  no 
premium  in  Sacaronduca  for  incapacity ;  you 
must  either  work,  and  work  well,  or  go  under.  I 
have  no  desire  to  offer  the  country  as  a  common 
dump  for  all  the  pauper  debris  which  other  States 
want  to  be  rid  of.  My  idea  is  to  establish  a 
republic  for  strong  men  only,  whose  instincts  are 
clean  and  healthy  ;  for  men  with  money,  men 
with  brains,  and  men  with  sinews ;  who  intend  to 
use  what  God  has  given  them  to  the  full  of  their 
power. 

"  From  a  moral  point  of  view  this  may  be  wrong. 
A  Socialist  (I  make  no  doubt)  would  call  the 
scheme  most  hideously  wicked.  Well,  an  inno- 
vator must  always  brave  a  tornado  of  outside 
opinion  ;  and  if  I  gain  the  approval  of  the  men  I 
work  for,  the  rest  of  the  world  may  yap  and  howl 

2 


i8  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

to  its  heart's  content.  I  have  spent  my  life  in 
studying  this  Earth's  ruling  machines,  and  I  have 
pondered  very  deeply  over  the  needs  of  Sacaron- 
duca,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  a  Government 
built  on  a  vulgar  business  footing  gives  the 
country  a  superlative  chance.  The  natural  re- 
sources are  enormous.  There  are  mines  of  gold, 
silver,  platinum,  and  most  of  the  baser  metals. 
From  the  geological  formation  there  should  be 
diamonds.  The  forests  are  full  of  valuable  tim- 
ber. The  soil,  from  an  agricultural  point  of  view, 
is  the  most  fertile  on  earth.  Excepting  for  a 
narrow  fringe  on  the  Pacific  coast,  the  climate  is 
entirely  healthy.  In  fact,  the  possibilities  of  the 
country  are  unbounded.  Yet  look  at  what  has 
been  done  for  it.  The  Indians  were  barbarians ; 
the  invaders,  barbarians  merely  of  a  different 
manner.  They  have  done  nothing,  any  of  them. 
The  beautiful  land,  with  its  latent  power,  is  a 
mere  pig's  wallow  of  barbarism  still.  There  are 
no  railways,  there  is  scarcely  a  road.  Excepting 
for  the  port  of  Los  Angeles,  Dolores,  which  calls 
itself  the  capital,  is  the  only  town  worthy  of  the 
name ;  and  it  is  merely  a  glorified  gambling-hell, 
with  a  bull-fight  on  Sundays,  and  eight  assassina- 
tions to  the  average  week.  The  other  towns  are 
cheery  robber  villages,  garnished  with  squalid 
children,  and  marked  out  with  a  halo  of  empty 
salmon  tins. 
"  To  reconstruct  such  a  country  by  setting  up 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        19 

any  of  the  stereotyped  kinds  of  rule  would  be  the 
worst  kind  of  foolishness.  We  should  cause  the 
usual  revolutionary  deluge  of  blood,  and  if  we  did 
upset  the  present  governors,  we  ourselves  would 
most  surely  be  dethroned  in  turn  when  the 
novelty  of  our  occupation  wore  away.  But, 
gentlemen,  if  we  institute  a  government  of  com- 
mon-sense  " 

"  Tempered  with  Martini  bullets,"  Coffin 
put  in. 

"  Certainly :  a  government  which  can  use  the 
heavy  hand  when  needful;  and  if  at  the  same 
time  we  import  British  energy,  and  British  regard 
for  advancement ;  why,  then,  gentlemen,  I  am 
convinced  that  we  shall  make  Sacaronduca  arise  as 
the  most  brilliant  star  of  many  eras.  I  can  see 
the  country,"  the  General  went  on,  with  a  lighting 
face,  "  I  can  see  the  country  under  those  new 
conditions  bursting  joyously  like  a  child  into  a 
new  and  brilliant  life.  I  can  see  roads  cut,  rail- 
ways winding  through  the  forests,  pack  trains 
carrying  the  wealth  of  mines  to  the  sea.  I  can 
see  new  towns,  built  of  comely  houses,  with 
boulevarded  streets,  and  music  in  the  plazas; 
new  picture-galleries  and  opera-houses ;  and  above 
all  a  new  peace  and  industry  that  was  never 
known  in  Sacaronduca  before.  I  can  hear,  too 
(in  imagination),  the  rustle  of  movement  and 
action  coming  up  from  every  acre  within  the 
country's  marches ;  and  I  can  see  (perhaps  with 


20  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

a  wicked  pride),  the  envy  of  our  neighbours — of 
San  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  Honduras,  and  Costa 
Rica.  But  they  must  confine  themselves  to  envy. 
They  shall  not  compel  Sacaronduca  to  tax  her- 
self in  order  that  she  may  maintain  a  standing 
army.  We  shall  be  slow  to  anger  ;  but  let  them 
beware  how  they  transgress  beyond  a  fixed  limit. 
Once  they  force  me  into  war,  I  shall  not  spare  my 
hand.  I  shall  not  conquer  merely ;  I  shall  crush 
out  of  existence." 

The  General  ceased  speaking,  and  for  some 
minutes  no  one  put  in  a  word.  Each,  in  our  own 
proper  way,  we,  too,  were  much  wrapped  up  in 
the  fate  of  Sacaronduca ;  and  what  we  had  been 
told  opened  up  a  good  many  vistas.  We  knew 
that  Briggs,  suave  though  he  might  be  with  indi- 
viduals, would  never  swerve  an  inch  when  he  had 
once  set  down  his  course  to  any  great  matter.  It 
did  not  require  a  very  long  acquaintance  with  the 
man  to  be  satisfied  over  this.  The  stranger  in 
the  street  could  have  read  it  in  one  casual  glance 
at  the  clean-shaven  face  of  him  ;  a  mobile  face, 
that  in  some  aspects  was  grim  almost  to  cruelty, 
though  softening  wonderfully  under  gentler  in- 
fluences, and  at  times  flashing  with  a  delicious 
kindliness,  but  always  essentially  the  face  of  a 
strong  man. 

He  was  going  to  juggle  with  the  issues  of  life 
and  death ;  we  were  to  be  on  the  stage  with  him, 
as  confederates  and  assistants,  knowing  exactly 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        21 

what  was  expected  of  us ;  and  now  or  never  was 
the  time  to  say  if  we  wished  to  withdraw.  After- 
wards it  would  be  too  late.  We  were  to  sign 
ourselves  into  his  service  body  and  soul,  without 
option  of  release,  and  we  offered  our  heads  in 
pledge  for  our  words.  He  was  at  liberty  any 
minute  to  shoot  any  one  of  us  who  in  any  degree 
whatever  failed  to  do  his  bidding. 

It  was  Carew  who  ended  the  silence.  He 
suddenly  looked  at  his  watch,  frowned,  and 
stood  up. 

"  By  Jove  !  Two  o'clock.  Look  here,  I've  got 
to  be  at  Victoria  by  the  three-thirty  if  I'm  to 
catch  the  Brindisi  boat  train,  and  I  have  to  go  to 
the  bank  for  money  and  do  nine  other  things  first. 
It  will  be  ten  days  before  there's  another  Australian 
boat,  so  I  mustn't  miss  this.  Your  promises  of 
loot  might  be  clearer,  but  as  it  is  I  guess  I  must 
look  after  myself.  Hand  over  the  contract,  Gen- 
eral, if  you  don't  mind,  and  let  me  make  my 
mark,  and  then  I'll  be  off."  He  scribbled  his 
name  at  the  foot  of  a  document,  and  threw  the 
pen  on  the  table-cloth.  "  There  you  are,  General. 
All's  fair  in  war,  as  you  say,  so  I'm  signing  my- 
self on  without  a  blush  as  yours  hilt  and  blade, 
just  for  what  I  can  get  out  of  it  in  solid  plunder. 
It's  distinctly  understood  that  I  come  for  no 
higher  motive.  And  now  good-bye.  I  know  my 
job  by  heart.  I'll  scare  up  fifty  neck-or-nothing 
Australians  and  make  them  toe  the  mark  at  your 


22  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

rendezvous  by  the  right  time.  Ta  ta,  you  fel- 
lows, and  don't  bring  out  any  fancy  small-bore 
revolvers.  Four-fifty's  the  best  by  miles.  That's 
a  reliable  fact." 

He  walked  across  the  room,  nodded  again,  and 
passed  through  the  door.  Coffin  got  up  as  he 
left. 

"  Well,  if  that's  all,  General,  I'll  just  sign  on  and 
take  myself  off.  I've  a  match  to  shoot  at  Hur- 
lingham  this  afternoon,  which  ought  to  bring  me 
in  a  couple  of  hundred  if  the  pigeons  fly  anything 
like  kind.  My  boat  sails  from  Southampton  at 
some  unearthly  hour  like  eleven  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, so  I'll  be  rustling  up  Mr.  Rhodes's  young 
men  at  the  Cape  within  a  fortnight,  and  I  don't 
think  I'll  have  much  trouble  in  bringing  up  my 
eighty.  Good-bye  all.  I  will  be  round  at  the 
club  by  twelve  to-night  if  anyone  wants  a  turn  at 
poker." 

He,  too,  signed  the  agreement  and  left  the 
room,  and  then  Fluellen  and  Davis  followed  his 
example,  the  one  to  take  passage  for  and  beat  up 
recruits  in  British  Columbia,  the  other  to  start 
about  his  task  of  collecting  the  armament  in 
Britain  and  Europe,  and  getting  hold  of  the  other 
munitions  of  war. 

The  General  and  I  were  alone,  and  when  the 
door  shut  for  the  last  time,  we  leaned  back  in  our 
chairs  with  a  simultaneous  stretching  of  the  arms 
and  treated  ourselves  to  sighs  of  relief.  Each 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        23 

noticed  the  other's  movement,  and  each  smiled, 
though  rather  wearily.  We  had  gone  through  a 
good  deal  to  bring  about  the  little  scene  which 
had  just  been  completed. 

"  It's  been  an  anxious  time,  hasn't  it,  Birch,  up 
to  now  ?  " 

"  It  has,  General,"  said  I,  "  and  for  relief  we  shall 
have  a  spell  during  the  next  five  months  which 
will  make  us  ten  times  as  anxious.  If  any  of  those 
four  men  who  have  just  gone  out  let  slip  a  word 
too  much  the  news  will  travel,  and  we  shall  have 
not  only  Sacaronduca  but  ten  other  governments 
on  the  lookout  for  us.  And,  moreover,  the  Brit- 
ish, with  the  memory  of  the  Alabama  case  still 
biting  on  them,  will  lay  an  embargo  on  any  vessel 
we  try  to  get  a  clearance  for,  and  will  flaunt  the 
Foreign  Enlistment  Act  in  the  ears  of  all  their 
dutiful  subjects.  They  may  very  conveniently 
wreck  us  yet." 

"  They  may  contrive  to  upset  many  links  of  the 
scheme  as  it  is  mapped  out  at  present,  my  dear 
Birch,  but  you  pay  me  a  very  poor  compliment  if 
you  suppose  I  haven't  got  a  relay  of  others  up  my 
sleeve.  However,  we  will  tackle  those  when  the 
time  comes.  For  the  present  I  have  another  little 
worry  to  occupy  me.  You  saw  Louis  hand  me  in 
that  letter  just  now?  It  was  from  Sacaronduca, 
and  from  what  it  told  me  I  have  grave  doubts  as 
to  the  advisability  of  taking  Fluellen  as  one  of  my 
officers." 


24  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

I  stared.     I  did  not  understand,  and  said  so. 

"  You  know  Fluellen's  object  in  joining  us  at 
all?" 

"  Vaguely.  He's  got  into  some  trouble  over  a 
woman,  hasn't  he  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  bald  way  of  putting  it,"  said  the 
General,  "  and  perhaps  hardly  does  justice  to  the 
man.  He  is  more  sinned  against  than  anything 
else,  and  his  good  qualities  are  acting  as  a  curse 
against  him.  He  was  engaged  to  an  Irish  girl 
called  Julia  Armitage,  whom  he  had  known  half 
his  life.  He  is  not  a  man  of  small  ideas,  but  in 
the  matter  of  liking  he  concentrated  himself.  He 
was  devoted  to  this  girl,  and  when  he  lost  her  (by 
her  marriage  to  another  man)  he  got  a  knock  which 
he  does  not  seem  able  to  rise  up  from.  This  hap- 
pened now  four  years  ago,  and  most  men  would  by 
this  time  have  consoled  themselves  in  another  way. 
But  Fluellen  seems  to  be  one  of  those  inconvenient 
people  who  cannot  forget,  and  the  dull,  hopeless 
longing  for  this  woman  has  given  life  for  him  such 
an  ache  that  he  is  pretty  tired  of  it.  I  met  him  (as 
you  will  recollect)  in  a  house  in  Scotland,  and  took 
his  measure,  and  thought  that  he  would  serve  my 
purpose.  So  I  went  with  him  out  for  a  walk  one 
morning  and  sounded  him  cautiously.  There 
was  no  mistake  ;  so  soon  as  he  grasped  what  I  was 
proposing  he  leaped  like  a  despairing  man  at  the 
chance  of  joining  us.  '  My  God,'  he  said,  '  give 
me  the  opening  for  excitement,  for  quick,  anxious 


25 

movement  which  will  make  me  forget  things,  and 
I  will  thank  you  as  few  men  have  been  thanked 
before.  And  I'll  work  for  you  well  too.  I  was  in 
the  service  once — lancer  regiment — and  went 
through  two  or  three  little  affairs  in  India.  They 
said  I  did  my  work  pretty  efficiently ;  gave  me 
some  medal  things,  don't  you  know,  and  put  my 
name  in  despatches.  Of  course  one  doesn't  talk 
about  that  sort  of  matter  usually,  but  you  don't 
know  me,  and  I  just  want  to  show  you  I'm  up  to 
the  work.  Look  here,  General,  if  you  don't  give  me 
a  billet — and  I  don't  care  much  what  it  is — I'm 
hanged  if  I  don't  run  out  to  this  republic  of  yours 
and  chip  in  on  the  other  side.' 

"  Well,"  the  General  concluded,  "  after  that  it 
did  not  take  us  long  to  come  to  terms.  He  was 
the  man  I  wanted,  and  mine  was  just  the  employ, 
ment  to  cure  his  morbid  turn  of  mind.  You  know 
how  he  has  thrown  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the 
cause  already.  You  have  seen  for  yourself  what 
brilliant  promise  there  is  in  him." 

"  If  you  ask  me,  General,  I  should  say  Fluellen  is 
about  the  pick  of  your  lot." 

"  I  believe  he  is,  Birch,  I  believe  he  is.  And 
now  at  the  last  moment  I  have  grave  doubts  as  to 
whether  it  is  wise  to  take  him  out  with  us.  I  have 
just  discovered  that  the  man  whom  this  Miss  Julia 
Armitage  married  is  no  other  a  person  than  Don 
Juan  Carmoy." 

I  whistled.     "  The  second  biggest  man  in  Saca- 


26  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

ronduca  this  minute.  And  it  is  a  toss-up  whether 
he  throws  in  his  lot  with  us  or  with  the  exist- 
ing government.  Does  Fluellen  know  he's  out 
there?" 

"  He  does  not.  I  am  certain  of  that.  But  he  can- 
not fail  to  know  it  sooner  or  later,  and  then " 

the  General  completed  his  sentence  with  a  sug- 
gestive shrug. 

Knowing  Fluellen,  and  knowing  Don  Juan 
I  should  say  they  are  by  no  means  likely  to 
fight  in  friendly  fashion  side  by  side.  If  you  do 
get  Don  Juan  (which  is  problematical)  and  you 
turn  Fluellen  away,  it  is  a  certain  thing  that  he 
will  go  over  to  the  enemy,  and  on  your  own  show- 
ing he  will  add  a  considerable  weight  to  their 
fighting  strength.  If  on  the  other  hand  you  keep 
Fluellen  and  let  Don  Juan  go  to  the  deuce  (which 
he  is  likely  to  do  anyway)  you  will  give  your  man 
an  additional  spur  to  make  our  side  win,  and  make 
him  almost  diabolic  in  his  usefulness." 

"Yes,"  said  the  General  thoughtfully,  "  I  believe 
you  are  right  on  the  whole.  We  have  got  to  have 
Fluellen  in  the  broil,  one  side  or  the  other,  and 
with  every  ounce  of  his  wit  and  energy  on  the 
strain.  I  believe  he  would  go  far  to  wreck  us  if 
he  was  in  the  opposition,  and  Juan  is  a  slippery 
rascal  anyway.  But  there  is  one  other  thing,"  the 
General  added  (it  seemed  to  me)  almost  shyly, 
"  the  Sefiora  Carmoy  is,  I  know,  a  dear  friend  of 
Delicia's.  That  may  complicate  matters  in  a  way 
you  will  not  understand." 


A  SCHEME  OF  REVOLUTION        27 


I  looked  up  in  surprise.  "  Who  is  Delicia  ?  "  I 
asked  ;  "  you  have  never  spoken  of  her  before  that 
I  know  of." 

The  General  got  up  and  began  putting  on  his 
hat  and  great  coat.  "  I  must  go  out  now  to  see 
Holsteins.  Expect  me  back  to  dinner  at  eight. 
Delicia?  Donna  Delicia,  that  is  ?  Oh,  well,  I  ex- 
pect you'll  hear  plenty  about  her  later.  She's  a 
very  remarkable  woman." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT 

IT  has  never  been  my  way  to  thrust  myself  for- 
ward, and  perhaps  owing  to  that  cause  I  was  what 
I  was  when  Briggs  first  met  me — to  wit,  purser  on 
a  transatlantic  liner.  If  I  had  cared  to  truckle 
more  to  captains  and  owners  probably  by  the  time 
I  was  two  and  forty  I  should  have  found  myself 
in  a  snug  berth  at  the  Liverpool  office  instead  of 
knocking  backwards  and  across  over  the  Western 
Ocean,  worrying  over  a  ship's  accounts  and  do- 
mestic economy,  and  acting  as  master  of  the 
ceremonies  to  an  always  changing  crew  of 
passengers. 

I  had  a  mind  at  the  beginning  of  this  history  to 
have  kept  myself  entirely  in  the  background ;  to 
have  appeared  only  as  the  nameless  scribe  who 
wrote  it  out ;  and  held  my  small  identity  in  the 
private  locker  of  a  publisher's  office.  But  it  occurs 
to  me,  as  the  ink  runs  out  upon  the  paper,  that  what 
took  place  in  Sacaronduca  cannot  be  explained 
with  full  accuracy  unless  my  own  name  appears 
here  and  there  upon  the  pages,  because  the  Fates 

— and  General  Briggs — decreed  that  certain  small 
28 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         29 

actions  of  my  own  should  have  their  trivial  bear- 
ing upon  the  history  which  was  made.  And  so 
under  this  impression  the  introduction  is  made. 

It  was  on  my  own  steamer,  coming  out  of  New 
York,  eastward,  that  I  saw  Briggs  for  the  first  time. 
We  had  a  devil  of  a  passage  of  it :  heavy  easterly 
gales  with  a  terror  of  a  sea  running,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  very  few  passengers  who  were  not 
knocked  over  with  it.  I  met  him  in  the  smoke- 
room  during  the  first  two  or  three  days  out,  where 
we  chummed  easily,  and  rather  took  to  one 
another ;  and  then  I  asked  him  down  to  my  own 
room,  to  which  he  afterwards  found  his  way  most 
days  till  we  made  Queenstown  Harbour. 

By  that  time  we  had  come  to  a  rather  curious 
agreement.  I  was  to  throw  up  the  work  I  had 
been  at  all  my  life  (a  thing  I  could  never  have 
fancied  myself  doing)  and  accept  service  under 
him  as  private  secretary ;  at  a  slightly  increased 
salary  to  my  purser's  pay  ;  with  prospect  of  a  high 
position  if  Briggs  ascended  the  presidential  throne. 
Moreover  I  was  to  commence  my  duties  on  that 
day  week ;  which,  after  a  small  tornado  at  the 
office  (where  I  dirtied  my  ticket  most  finally),  was 
done  punctually.  It  is  a  curious  thing,  and  per- 
haps worthy  of  comment,  that  the  General  declined 
to  look  through  my  testimonials.  I  remember  at 
the  time  I  felt  rather  badly  annoyed,  because  some 
handsome  things  were  said  of  me  in  the  papers, 
which,  of  course,  I  could  not  in  decency  repeat  by 


30  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

word  of  mouth.  But  as  I  had  ample  means  of 
learning  afterwards,  the  omission  was  the  man's 
common  habit.  He  never  trusted  the  opinion  of 
anyone  else  about  anybody  ;  always  preferring  the 
judgment  of  his  own  eyes  and  his  own  ears  from 
half  an  hour's  talk  ;  and  I  must  say  (on  the  whole) 
profiting  largely  by  the  method. 

Now  I  think  I  will  omit  the  full  account  of 
what  happened  after  Fluellen,  Coffin,  and  Sir  Wil- 
liam Carew  went  off  to  the  corners  of  the  empire 
to  recruit  soldiers  of  fortune.  That  time  was 
filled  in  with  the  dry  detail  of  office  work  (carried 
on  secretly  at  the  Hotel  Metropole,  in  London)  ; 
and  with  seeing  Davis  between  his  round  of  visits 
to  arms  factories,  and  the  host  of  other  places 
where  the  multitude  of  his  duties  called  him. 

But  at  this  point  it  is  my  duty  to  record  that 
much  of  the  initial  success  of  the  expedition  was 
due  to  that  same  fellow  Davis's  shrewd-headed- 
ness  and  business  tact.  As  a  personal  matter  I 
must  candidly  confess  to  have  never  liked  the 
man.  If  he  had  been  contented  to  remain  what 
God  made  him,  a  clever,  honest,  diligent  fellow,  a 
worker  by  birth,  and  an  engineer  by  rating,  he 
would  have  been  palatable  enough  ;  moreover  he 
would  have  succeeded  far  better  in  a  worldly  de- 
gree. But  when  he  tried  to  pose  as  what  he  was 
not  and  never  would  be,  and  that  is  a  gentleman  ; 
and  when  he  persisted  in  quoting  from  that  most 
poisonous  thing,  a  Book  of  Etiquette,  then  my 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         31 

stomach  would  rise  at  the  man,  and  I  could  barely 
refrain  from  insulting  him  to  his  face. 

Still,  it  is  only  just  to  own  that  he  was  popular 
enough  with  the  others.  Fluellen,  perhaps,  took 
little  notice  of  him,  in  the  same  way  that  he  more 
or  less  ignored  everybody,  not  being  a  man  of 
much  speech  ;  but  the  General  appreciated  him 
much  for  his  undoubted  usefulness  ;  and  the  other 
two  seemed  really  to  like  him  for  himself.  It  is 
true  they  used  openly  to  laugh  at  him ;  but  they 
only  did  it  before  his  teeth,  and  defended  him 
when  he  was  away,  as  though  he  had  been  fianceVs 
brother  to  each  of  them. 

Davis's  work  was  a  matter  requiring  a  perilous 
amount  of  commercial  delicacy.  If  he  had  gone 
to  a  gunmaker  and  said,  "  I  want  so  many  stand 
of  rifles  to  arm  a  filibustering  expedition  to  Sac- 
aronduca,"  we  should  have  failed  at  the  outset. 
True,  the  weapons  might  have  been  delivered  at 
the  door  of  the  factory,  on  substantial  prepay- 
ment ;  but  Birmingham  is  not  a  port  on  the  Mex- 
ican Gulf,  and  buying  and  transporting  are  two 
very  different  matters.  Everything  had  to  be 
gone  about  with  the  most  profound  caution  and 
secrecy,  and,  of  course,  paid  for  accordingly. 

To  give  the  British  arms-maker  his  due,  he  is 
always  ready  to  supply  contraband  of  war  to  any- 
one who  will  give  him-  money  for  it,  even  though 
he  knows  for  a  certainty  that  the  material  will  be 
used  against  his  own  countrymen.  He  is  amply 


32  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

devoid  of  scruples  in  this  respect,  having,  of 
course,  his  business  and  the  profits  thereof  to  look 
after  first  before  such  a  trivial  matter  of  ethics 
could  come  into  play.  But  he  is  not  above  salv- 
ing his  conscience  with  a  revised  price-list,  and 
puts  each  item  of  secrecy  required  as  so  much  per 
cent,  on  the  bill. 

It  was  the  same  way  too  with  the  wholesale 
clothiers  in  Leeds  who  turned  out  our  uniforms : 
they  must  have  made  a  good  thing  out  of  it  for 
the  consideration  of  holding  their  tongues  over 
the  transaction.  And  (most  crucial  place  of  all) 
it  was  the  method  adopted  by  the  small  shipowner 
who  ferried  out  our  dangerous  cargo.  He  alone 
of  all  the  people  we  dealt  with  I  saw  myself  ;  a 
small  stuffy  creature  with  a  stutter  and  a  perpetual 
perspiration  ;  who  owned  two  little  old  steamers, 
and  had  a  few  sixty-fourths  in  others  ;  but  who 
had  lately  purchased  what  was  the  apple  of  his 
eye,  a  ten-knot  cargo  boat  of  nine-hundred  tons. 
By  an  effort  of  weak  sentiment  he  had  named  her 
the  Clarindella. 

How  that  man  bullied,  and  whined,  and  trem- 
bled I  shall  never  forget ;  nor  how  his  collar  melted 
to  a  formless  rag  as  he  recounted  the  risks ;  nor 
how  he  niggled  at  sixpences  whilst  he  swore  to 
being  robbed  of  hundreds  of  pounds.  In  reality 
he  had  little  to  stake,  seeing  that  one  can  under- 
write any  sea-risk  if  one  only  pays  the  insurers 
sufficient  guineas  per  cent.  But  this  blessed  Clar- 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         33 

indella  was  the  triumph  of  a  lifetime  of  sordid 
scraping  :  in  his  poor  struggling  little  mind  she 
was  the  cream  of  all  cargo  boats  rendered  down 
into  one  perfect  craft ;  and  he  could  not  have 
been  more  jealous  of  her  movements  if  she  had 
been  his  daughter.  He  could  not  allow  this  to  be 
done  with  her,  that,  t'other ;  on  no  account  could 
he  leave  down  the  carpet  in  the  chart-house  (which 
had  cost  2s.  gd.  a  yard)  or  the  new  dodgers  he 
had  got  for  the  upper  bridge.  Indeed,  if  he  had 
been  let  go  on,  I  believe  he  would  have  insisted 
on  having  the  engines  brought  ashore  and  laid  in 
tallow,  for  fear  that  they  would  rust  if  sent  to  sea 
in  such  evil  company. 

But  an  ultimatum  was  put  before  him  at  last 
which  he  had  to  accept  or  refuse,  and  he  produced 
a  sixpenny  charter-party  stamp  and  signed  himself 
into  a  small  competence  with  a  few  trembling 
strokes  of  the  pen. 

The  thing  was  over  and  settled,  but  he  promptly 
broke  out  again.  Would  we  not  change  our 
minds ;  and  have  one  of  his  other  steamers — 
beautiful  boats,  splendid  boats  ;  at  a  far  smaller 
price  ?  He  had  another  stamp  in  his  pocket. 
And  when  he  heard  decisively  that  we  would  not, 
but  were  bent  on  taking  his  Clarindella,  the  tears 
welled  up  in  his  eyes  as  he  entreated  us  for  the 
hundredth  time  to  treat  her  decorously.  "  Gentle- 
men," he  pleaded,  "  take  the  advice  of  a  man  who 
has  seen  much  of  those  blasted  foreigners  from 
3 


34  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Mexico  way,  and  just  you  come  back  to  an  Eng- 
lish port  if  they  begin  to  play  their  hanky  panky 
tricks.  Just  think  how  I'll  feel,  if  you  get  knocked 
over  by  them  beastly  fevers,  or  get  caught  by  a 
Spanish  gunboat.  I'd  be  more  sorry  for  you  than 
I  can  rightly  tell.  And  if  my  Clarindella  was 
taken  off  into  a  foreign  port  and  held  there, 
you'd  have  demurrage  to  pay  me,  even  if  she 
was  not  confiscated." 

"  Look  here,"  I  cut  in,  "  our  bargain's  made. 
Any  way  you  draw  large  profits  out  of  us,  and  if 
we  come  to  any  sort  of  grief  you  get  your  full 
dividends  out  of  Lloyds.  You  have  made  us  in- 
sure fully  against  every  possible  risk ;  and  it  has 
cost  us  seventy  guineas  per  cent. ;  and  you  have 
got  a  Jew's  bargain  out  of  it.  You  never  had 
such  a  haul  before,  and  most  probably  never  will 
again.  And  now,  my  friend,  go,  or  possibly 
someone  here  will  do  you  a  personal  injury." 

The  fellow  went  away,  whining  and  grumbling, 
and  I  did  not  anticipate  seeing  him  again.  The 
Fates,  however,  saw  good  to  throw  him  in  our 
way  afterwards  in  a  rather  peculiar  manner.  But 
that  will  be  touched  upon  when  the  time  comes. 
But  let  me  drop  these  mean  becklings  now,  and 
pass  on  to  the  period  of  brisker  movement. 

The  Clarindella  put  to  sea  on  her  appointed 
day,  loaded  down  to  within  a. foot  of  her  marks 
with  our  war  material.  Davis  was  in  practical 
command  (though  nominally  rated  as  purser),  and 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         35 

splendidly  he  managed.  From  what  port  he 
sailed,  how  he  got  his  cargo  on  board  and  under 
hatches,  how  he  procured  his  clearance  papers,  are 
matters  which  must  not  be  told  of  even  now,  as  to 
do  so  would  implicate  as  accomplices  many  re- 
spectable gentlemen  who  have  since  in  public  ex- 
pended much  hard  language  upon  our  doings. 
But  sail  he  did,  and  that  without  being  suspected, 
though  at  the  last  moment  there  seemed  so  much 
chance  (from  hints  which  were  given  us)  of  the 
Clarindella  being  overhauled  on  the  high  seas, 
that  at  Davis's  earnest  entreaty  Briggs  and  I  got 
over  the  first  portion  of  the  journey  on  another 
vessel.  He  put  his  plea  on  the  ancient  principle 
of  there  always  being  danger  in  carrying  the  whole 
of  one's  eggs  in  a  single  basket. 

In  consequence  the  chief  and  I  ran  down  to 
Southampton  and  took  passage  across  to  the  West 
Indies  in  one  of  the  Royal  Mail  boats ;  and  then 
by  other  means  of  conveyance,  which  it  would  do 
no  particular  good  to  specify,  made  our  way  to  a 
certain  very  lonely  rendezvous  which  had  been 
agreed  upon. 

The  Clarindella  arrived  a  day  after  her  time. 
She  had  been  sighted  off  Eastern  Cuba,  and  or- 
dered to  heave  to  by  a  Spanish  gunboat ;  but  not 
being  exactly  anxious  for  an  overhaul,  had  taken 
to  her  heels.  She  had  the  advantage  of  nearly 
three-quarters  of  a  knot  in  speed,  and  ran  the 
Don's  mast-trucks  out  of  sight  in  eleven  hours. 


36  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

The  scurry  had  taken  her  off  her  course,  but  she 
swung  back  on  to  it  when  the  night  closed  down. 
In  consequence  she  arrived  (as  I  have  said)  be- 
hind her  time  at  the  rendezvous,  and  we  had 
worked  up  a  considerable  anxiety.  But  we  were 
on  the  keen  lookout  still,  and  when  the  glass 
showed  her  climbing  up  over  the  further  rim  of 
the  Caribbean  Sea,  we  slipped  down  from  the 
mountain  perch  where  we  had  been  standing 
watch,  and  made  the  best  of  our  way  to  the  creek 
below.  An  hour  later  a  fisher's  boat  took  us  out 
to  where  the  steamer  was  showing  the  red  of  her 
bottom  as  she  lifted  over  the  swells.  We  boarded 
her  before  she  had  lost  her  way,  exchanged  half- 
a-dozen  words  with  Davis,  who  had  a  bag  ready 
packed,  and  went  down  into  the  fisher-boat  to  go 
ashore  and  pick  up  a  mail  steamer ;  and  then  the 
telegraph  on  the  upper  bridge  clanged  its  message 
down  to  the  engine-room  for  once  more  full  steam 
ahead. 

We  went  into  the  chart-house,  and  the  master 
showed  us  a  track  chart  of  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
marked  with  a  pencil  line  from  where  we  then 
were  to  a  tiny  dot  which  lay  off  the  further  coast. 

"  I  don't  fancy  this  white  Tortuga  Key  of 
yours,  sir,"  he  said.  "  The  water's  very  shoal  all 
round  there." 

"You  have  the  detailed  chart  I  gave  you?"  the 
General  asked. 

The  captain  produced  it,  a  large  piece  of  stiff 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         37 

paper  printed  in  tiny  squares,  with  an  inked  out- 
line of  an  island  which  curled  itself  round  a  pro- 
tected anchorage,  and  a  series  of  close  soundings 
for  the  course  of  the  channel  which  led  into  it. 

"You  may  take  that  as  absolutely  reliable," 
the  General  said.  "  There  is  (as  you  see)  good 
water  in  the  fairway,  and  the  leading  marks  stand 
out  black  against  white  coral  sand.  If  you  do 
not  fancy  the  job,  I  will  take  the  ship  in  myself." 

"  I  am  master  here,"  said  the  captain  sourly, 
"and  give  up  charge  to  no  one  except  an  author- 
ised pilot  who  can  show  me  a  certificate.  I  have 
got  my  ticket  to  think  about." 

The  fellow's  owner  had  evidently  been  rubbing 
the  fear  of  I  don't  know  what  into  him  ;  he  was 
nervousness  personified  ;  he  had  barely  taken  off 
his  clothes  since  leaving  England.  Well,  it  was 
certainly  uncomfortable  for  him,  poor  wretch,  but 
it  did  not  matter  to  us  so  long  as  he  did  not  get 
over-frightened  and  refuse  to  go  on  to  the  proper 
destination.  We  are  quite  as  anxious  to  land  there 
safely  as  ever  he  could  be. 

Thirty  hours  later  we  were  slipping  along  under 
half-steam,  with  a  lead  going  continuously,  trying 
to  catch  the  loom  of  the  land  through  an  inky  star- 
less night.  The  soundings  dodged  about  most 
amazingly,  and  the  skipper  on  the  upper  bridge 
swore,  and  rang  his  engines  off  and  off  till  at  last 
we  were  reduced  to  a  crawl  which  barely  gave  us 
steerage  way.  Then  from  the  sky  ahead  a  great 


38  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

cloud  bank  slid  away  as  though  it  had  been  the 
lid  of  a  box,  and  through  the  opening  there  showed 
up  a  plump  oval  of  moon,  yellow  as  brass,  which 
hung  low  over  a  sleek  black  sea.  Between  us  and 
it  lay  the  island,  a  small  patch  of  coral  rock  and 
sand,  glittering  like  a  jewel,  and  splashed  by  a  pale 
brazen  surf. 

The  captain  gulped  out  a  big  sigh  and  crammed 
down  the  handles  of  the  telegraph.  The  propeller 
rumbled  and  splashed  astern.  The  Clarindella 
gathered  way  and  headed  for  the  channel. 

What  the  Key  may  have  been  used  for  before  I 
do  not  know  to  this  day  ;  but  probably  pirates 
once  made  rendezvous  and  re-fitted  there  ;  for  cer- 
tainly of  the  six  leading  marks  two  were  artificial. 
Four  were  placed  there  by  nature,  outcrops  of 
nigger-black  stone  bedded  in  a  waste  of  milk-white 
sand.  But  the  outermost  mark  which  perched  on 
the  most  westerly  spit  of  the  Key  was  a  neat  dry- 
built  cairn  of  purple  black  coral  rock  with  an  in- 
scription on  one  of  the  heavier  boulders  to  the  ef- 
fect that  "  W  Caine,  he  built  it,"  whilst  the  six- 
foot  obelisk  on  the  beach  in  the  middle  of  the 
narrow  channel  carried  both  in  its  pleasantness  of 
structure  and  the  words,  "  The  mate,  his  money," 
the  marks  of  human  handiwork  and  the  evidences 
of  a  very  human  wager. 

The  chart  we  had  may  either  have  been  copied 
from  one  made  by  these  former  occupiers,  or  com- 
piled from  a  fresh  survey  ;  which,  I  never  asked, 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         39 

and  have  no  one  to  tell  me  here  now ;  but  it  was 
very  complete  and  entirely  accurate.  With  it  any 
man  with  a  pair  of  eyes  and  a  steam  vessel  that 
would  steer  could  get  into  the  anchorage  with  com- 
plete ease  and  certainty  ;  a  sailing  vessel  would 
have  to  tow  or  (even  with  a  leading  wind)  be  very 
smartly  handled  ;  but  for  a  stranger  the  place  was 
locked.  The  channel  ran  as  a  narrow  canal  of 
deep  water  winding  in  a  quick  zigzag  between 
shoals  of  sand  and  a  maze  of  reefs  both  sunk  and 
just  awash.  There  was  always  a  heavy  ground 
swell  tumbling  in  from  outside,  and  no  one  but  a 
maniac  would  have  tried  to  force  the  channel  even 
with  leadsmen  and  a  steamer  under  full  com- 
mand. 

This,  of  course  gave  us  security,  and  the  position 
of  the  Key  added  to  it.  The  White  Tortuga  lay 
in  the  middle  of  an  archipelago  of  other  keys  and 
reefs  and  shoals,  which  were  highly  dangerous  to 
navigate.  They  were  on  no  ship  track  ;  they  lay 
between  no  two  ports ;  and  the  Gulf  Stream 
swilled  through  them  in  many  places  at  a  lusty 
eight  knots.  The  Sailing  Directions  marked  the 
neighbourhood  as  "  highly  dangerous,"  and  ship- 
masters avoided  it  as  they  would  a  gallows. 

For  our  purpose  then  the  place  was  wholesome 
through  its  sheer  loneliness.  A  year  might  pass 
without  anything  but  sea  fowl  and  sea  creatures 
sighting  it  ;  and  yet  the  chief  entry  port  of  Sac- 
aronduca  lay  a  bare  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to 


40  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  westward.  There  was  no  inducement  for  any- 
one to  land  on  the  Key  for  any  ordinary  purpose, 
even  if  they  were  blown  into  its  direction.  It 
yielded  nothing  either  to  eat  or  to  sell  or  to  make 
into  a  picture.  The  cruel  barrenness  of  it  made 
one  sick.  There  was  but  one  tree  in  the  whole 
place,  a  stunted  twisted  black  pine,  which  clawed 
with  gnarled  roots  upon  a  slab  of  honeycombed 
rock  beyond  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  served  as 
the  further  leading  mark  to  the  anchorage.  A 
few  hundred  blades  of  grey-green  grass  peppered 
here  and  there  over  the  low  dunes  made  up  all  the 
rest  of  the  vegetation.  There  were  neither  man- 
groves, palmettos,  sawgrass,  nor  palms,  though 
the  Key  was  in  a  latitude  where  all  of  these  flourish 
abundantly.  Neither  could  we  find  the  nests  of 
sea  fowl.  Indeed  the  Key  seemed  so  sour  with 
brine  and  loneliness  that  every  living  organism, 
high  and  low,  instinctively  avoided  it. 

But  I  did  not  learn  these  things  about  the 
White  Tortuga  Key  the  night  we  steamed  into 
its  anchorage.  The  moon  burned  strong  in  the 
sky  till  we  had  made  the  narrows  and  passed 
through  them  to  the  bay  beyond,  and  then  it  was 
eclipsed  behind  great  rolls  of  cloud,  and  we  saw 
it  no  more.  The  leadsman  sang  his  chant,  and 
the  water  shoaled  steadily  from  twelve  fathoms 
into  six.  Then  it  was  "  let  go  there  forrard,"  and 
the  anchor  left  the  hawse  pipe  with  a  roar  and  a 
splash. 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         41 

"  Well,  Birch,"  said  the  General,  "  we  seem  to 
be  prospering  so  far." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  things  couldn't  well  have  gone 
more  smoothly." 

The  skipper  interrupted.  "  I  thought,"  he  said, 
"  that  according  to  you  this  Key  was  uninhab- 
ited." The  man  put  up  his  binoculars  again,  and 
once  more  peered  at  the  beach. 

"  Do  you  see  anyone  ? "  the  General  asked 
sharply. 

The  captain  of  the  Clarindella  put  down  his 
glass.  "  I  wasn't  certain  before,  but  I  am  now. 
There  are  people  there  as  sure  as  you  are  here, 
and  it  strikes  me,  General,  your  little  game's  been 
spotted  and  made  ready  for.  Now  you've  thought 
pretty  poor  value  of  me  because  I've  been  a  good 
deal  frightened  whilst  I've  been  bringing  this 
steamboat  across  to  this  fancy  port  of  yours. 
Well,  I  tell  you  I  have  been  scared.  The  old 
governor  told  me  if  I  didn't  contrive  to  put  her 
in  this  place  where  she  is  now,  if  I  let  myself  be 
stopped  on  the  road,  or  managed  to  pile  her  up 
in  any  way  of  these  blasted  reefs,  he'd  just  see 
my  ticket  was  dirtied  so  that  I  never  got  another 
ship  as  long  as  sea  tracks  were  made. 

"  '  That's  all  very  well,'  I  says  to  him,  '  but  how 
if  these  fellows  out  there  come  aboard  and  take 
possession  after  I've  brought  her  into  harbour? 
Seems  to  me  no  master  can  help  himself  out  of 
that  sort  of  pickle/ 


42  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

" '  That's  all  right,  captain,'  he  says,  *  once  you 
get  into  this  harbour,  your  responsibility  ends  till 
you've  discharged  cargo.  The  General's  arranged 
to  take  complete  charge,  and  you're  to  hand  it 
over  to  him,  and  not  interfere  in  any  way  at  all.' 

"  So  now,  sir,  you've  got  the  handling  of  the 
Clarindella  to  do  with  just  as  you  choose,  and  I'm 
sure  I  wish  you  fun  with  her.  There  are  people 
on  this  island  of  yours  on  the  spot  before  us,  and 
I  can  hear  them  talking  plain  as  I  can  hear 
myself :  and  I  guess  they  haven't  come  there  to 
catch  butterflies.  If  I  can  be  any  use  to  you, 
General,  I'll  help  you  as  a  volunteer.  But  only 
as  a  volunteer,  mind,  and  just  for  the  sport  of  the 
thing,  and  to  show  there's  nothing  of  the  coward- 
sort  about  me  when  my  ticket's  not  got  to  be 
thought  about.  By  the  Lord,  though,  listen  to 
that,  sir ;  we're  in  for  a  fight  as  sure  as  God  allows 
mischief.  Well,  sir,"  the  captain  concluded,  roll- 
ing the  words  over  in  his  mouth  as  though  he  rel- 
ished them,  "  give  your  orders  if  you  have  any. 
You  may  be  no  seaman,  as  I've  heard  you  say ; 
you  may  wear  spurs  to  do  the  work  in  if  you  fancy 
them  ;  but  you're  skipper  here  from  this  moment, 
and  you'd  better  hump  yourself  if  you  don't  want 
the  billet  filled  by  somebody  else.  Damn,  listen 
to  that !  There  goes  my  starboard  side  light." 

A  bullet  from  out  of  the  darkness  had  hit  the 
green  lens  and  shivered  it  into  a  thousand  pieces; 
two  more  knocked  noisily  on  the  iron  of  the 


THE  SECOND  ENLISTMENT         43 

steamer's  flank.  Then  a  heavy,  ragged  volley 
rang  out,  and  with  it  shouts  and  yells  and  curses, 
and  presently  the  air  which  came  to  us  from  off 
the  island  grew  salt  with  the  smoke  of  gun- 
powder. 

The  General  stood  on  the  upper  bridge  with  a 
pair  of  binoculars  against  his  eyes.  "  If  they 
were  firing  at  us,"  I  heard  him  mutter,  "  that 
would  be  understandable  enough.  But  they  are 
not  shooting  this  way,  that's  clear  enough  now." 

The  firing  went  on  with  snarling  energy.  The 
noise  was  one  blurred  roar ;  the  spits  of  the  rifles 
sprinkled  the  night  with  bewildering  flashes. 
The  moon  stayed  hid,  but  one  could  trace  the 
drift  of  the  fight  as  it  swayed  in  and  out  of  the 
sandhills,  by  the  din,  and  by  the  streaks  of  yellow 
flame. 

Through  his  glasses  the  General  watched  in 
earnest  silence.  The  captain  of  the  steamer  stood 
on  the  other  side  of  me  with  a  laugh  on  his  lips, 
drumming  on  the  white  rail  with  his  fingers. 
Neither  seemed  inclined  to  speak,  and  I  stuck 
between  them,  not  knowing  what  to  think,  and 
feeling  a  bewildered  fool.  At  last  I  could  endure 
it  no  longer. 

"  General,"  I  said,  "  there  seems  a  pretty  tidy 
skirmish  going  on.  Is  it  in  honour  of  our  ar- 
rival?" 

"  My  dear  Birch,"  he  replied,  "  no  one  is  more 
surprised  at  this  firework  display  than  I  am." 


44  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"But  the  fellows  are  not  shooting  at  us,"  I 
said. 

"  If  they  were,"  he  retorted,  "  I  should  feel  a 
good  deal  easier.  Then  I  could  understand  it. 
As  it  is,  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  to  know  who  these 
good  gentlemen  can  be  who  are  so  busy  murder- 
ing one  another." 


CHAPTER  IV  ; 

WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY   s 

THE  fight  on  the  beach  soon  lost  its  concentra- 
tion, broke  up  into  a  dozen  scattered  skirmishes, 
and  flitted  about  here  and  there  over  the  mounds 
and  hollows  of  the  Key.  It  was  an  affair  of  indi- 
viduals, where  strategy  was  of  little  use,  and  the 
element  of  pluck  told  enormously.  The  man 
who  fought,  and  fought,  and  in  the  end  got  fright- 
ened of  the  mysterious  shape  which  battled 
against  him  in  the  gloom,  and  turned  and  ran, 
gained  fresh  tremors  in  his  flight,  till  terror  loos- 
ened all  his  joints.  The  pursuer,  on  the  other 
hand  (though  an  instant  before  being  much 
minded  to  try  and  escape),  gained  comfort  from 
the  flying  heels  in  front,  till  a  courage  bristled 
up  within  his  ribs  that  was  reckless  as  a  ghezi's. 

The  heavy  firing  did  not  last  for  very  long. 
The  weapons  were  emptied,  and  few  men  found 
time  to  re-load.  Only  here  and  there  a  crack  told 
of  some  man  who  had  slipped  a  fresh  cartridge 
into  the  breech  of  his  rifle,  or  a  sharper,  whip-like 
noise  as  someone  loosed  a  final  shot  left  in  a 
revolver.  They  were  fighting  with  the  butt  and 

45 


46  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  cold  iron,  which  never  require  other  ammuni- 
tion than  hate  and  a  lusty  arm,  and  which  in  war 
have  killed  more  men  by  twice  than  all  the  mis- 
siles which  gunpowder  has  singed. 

The  moon  stayed  hid  ;  the  night  was  breezeless ; 
the  dark  was  thickened  by  the  hanging  smoke. 
We  on  the  Clarindella's  bridge  could  barely  trace 
the  outline  of  the  beach,  and  could  make  out 
nothing  beyond  it.  Never  did  men  stand  a  more 
tantalising  watch.  A  furious  battle  was  going  on 
within  gunshot  of  us,  in  the  outcome  of  which  it 
was  very  probable  we  were  vitally  interested. 
And  yet  we  could  see  not  one  of  its  movements. 
We  did  not  even  know  what  men  were  engaged, 
or  how  many,  or  why  they  fought.  We  had  our 
ears  alone  to  report  to  us,  and  they  only  told 
scraps  of  the  tale. 

All  footsteps  were  muffled  by  the  sand  ;  all  the 
lesser  noises  were  blotted  by  the  distance.  But 
we  could  hear  the  rasping  clashes  when  men  en- 
gaged with  the  steel,  and  the  scraanch  of  the  gun- 
butt  landing  home ;  and  from  these,  and  from 
the  louder  cries  of  pain  and  death,  of  hate  and 
triumph,  we  had  to  make  up  all  our  news. 

For  a  long  time  only  one  thing  could  we  be 
certain  of,  and  that  was  that  the  killing  went  on 
at  a  most  murderous  pace.  But  as  to  who  were 
falling,  we  could  form  no  accurate  idea.  At  one 
period,  from  the  multitude  of  the  cries,  it  seemed 
as  though  the  two  parties  were  exterminating  one 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  47 

another  mutually.  But  the  noises  lessened  as  the 
men  spread,  and  then  by  degrees  rallying  shouts 
came  to  us  which  told  that  one  of  the  parties  had 
taken  to  itself  the  upper  hand. 

Then  the  firing  began  to  ring  out  again,  in 
single  cracks,  as  the  men  of  the  winning  party 
took  time  and  loaded,  and  shot  down  the  others 
as  they  came  up  with  them.  This  lasted  as 
though  a  body  of  men  were  going  systematically 
over  all  the  Key,  exterminating  every  living  crea- 
ture they  came  across  ;  and  then  it  dwindled  and 
then  stopped  to  the  shrill  call  of  a  whistle. 

The  sound  cut  the  black  air  like  a  knife,  coming 
to  us  so  clearly  that  one  might  have  thought  it 
started  from  the  forecastle  head.  It  was  repeated 
quickly  by  two  other  whistles  from  other  parts  of 
the  island  ;  and  then  we  began  to  hear  the  shouts 
of  men  as  they  hailed  one  another  to  find  the 
way,  and  gradually  converged  upon  the  beach. 

Up  till  then  we  three  on  the  Clarindella's  upper 
bridge  had  listened  almost  in  silence,  drinking  in 
the  sounds,  and  giving  what  meaning  to  them  we 
thought  fit.  But  at  that  point  Captain  Evans 
gave  us  the  advantage  of  his  sharper  trained 
hearing. 

"  Hark,"  he  said  in  a  thick  whisper,  "  did  you 
hear  that  noise  just  then  from  the  little  inlet  on 
the  starboard  hand  over  yonder  at  the  head  of 
the  bay  ?  It  was  a  boat  being  grounded ;  and 
listen,  there's  another  ;  and  by  gum,  that's  a  third. 


48  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

They  have  been  lying  off  the  beach,  I  guess, 
with  a  boat-keeper  in  each,  and  now  they're  going 
to  take  those  chaps  off.  That's  what  the  whistles 
were  for.  Looks  to  me  as  if  we  Avere  going  to 
have  our  turn  next.  Well,  I  suppose  they'll  give 
us  gruel  when  they  do  set  about  it. 

"  There,  did  you  catch  that  ?  Hear  them 
stumbling  over  the  thwarts.  That's  all  hands 
aboard.  Oh  Lord,  yes,  we're  going  to  get  it  now, 
and  no  blessed  error." 

"  If  you  please,"  said  the  General,  "we  will 
argue  that  point.  I  think,  captain,  you  may  re- 
member my  troubling  your  mate  yesterday  to  get 
me  up  a  couple  of  cases  from  Number  2  hold  ? 
Well,  one  of  those  contained  Marlin  rifles  which 
happen  to  be  i8-shot  repeaters,  and  the  other  was 
a  box  of  suitable  ammunition." 

"  Now  Mr.  Birch  and  I  are  going  to  take  each 
one  side  of  the  ship  and  make  it  extremely  warm 
for  anyone  who  attempts  to  board  us  uninvited. 
You  have  no  accommodation  ladder  over  the  side, 
and  if  those  gentry  come  in  row-boats  they've  a 
twelve-foot  climb  before  them  up  smooth  iron 
plates  before  they  can  come  to  hand-grips  with  us." 

"  And  you  think  you  can  keep  them  off  ?  "  in- 
quired Evans. 

"  We  shall  try,"  said  the  General  calmly,  "  and 
I  hope  we  shall  succeed.  Of  course,  there  is  risk 
in  such  a  defence,  because  whilst  one  party  of 
them  climb  up,  the  rest,  unless  they  are  boro 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  49 

fools,  will  cover  the  escalade  with  a  rifle  fire. 
But  we  shall  take  every  advantage  of  the  cover, 
and  I  hope  that  they  will  discover  that  they  have 
had  enough  fighting  for  one  night  already,  and 
will  be  content  to  sheer  off.  I  say  I  hope  this 
will  take  place,  captain,  because  if  they  are  the 
individuals  I  imagine  them  to  be,  this  steamer 
contains  a  cargo  which  would  be  remarkably 
useful  to  them  just  now,  and  to  get  a  clear  title 
to  it  which  could  not  be  disputed  in  a  govern- 
ment inquiry  they  would  undoubtedly  cut  every 
throat  on  board." 

"There  is  a  deal  of  simplicity  in  that, sir,"  said 
the  ship-master.  "  If  you've  got  enough  of  those 
guns,  wouldn't  it  be  a  handsome  idea  to  serve 
the  spare  ones  out  to  the  mates  and  the  engineers 
and  some  of  the  crew,  with  a  handful  of  car- 
tridges apiece?  They'll  be  glad  of  the  chance  of 
a  little  sport,  and  if  you  tell  them  what  it  means 
if  we  don't  keep  the  ship  to  ourselves  probably 
they'll  contrive  to  shoot  pretty  straight." 

"  Nothing,"  said  the  General,  "  would  suit  me 
better.  I  may  own  to  you,  captain,  that  I  have 
an  intolerable  dislike  to  being  hanged  within  the 
next  hour  or  so,  as  hanged  I  shall  be  if  those  good 
folks  can  lay  hands  on  me.  Perhaps,  indeed,  you 
would  even  go  so  far  as  to  accept  a  weapon  your- 
self?" 

"  Not  one  of  yours,  sir,"  said  the  master.  "  I 
never  could  hit  a  thing  as  small  as  a  man  ten 
4 


50  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

yards  off  with  a  rifle.  But  I've  a  bird-gun  do.wn 
in  my  room  and  some  cartridges  of  svvanshot,  and 
I  fancy  if  they're  given  room  to  scatter  they'll 
bring  down  more  cold  meat  than  your  bullets  will. 
I  can  just  brown  'em  both  sides  nicely  from  the 
bridge  here." 

"  Better  come  under  shelter,  captain.  There  is 
no  use  in  exposing  oneself  needlessly.  And  you 
would  be  in  full  view  of  everyone  here." 

"  That  sir,  is  my  affair,"  said  the  master  stiffly. 
"  I  guess  my  ticket  can't  be  meddled  with  now, 
whatever  happens,  and  so  I'm  not  wearing  my 
nervousness  this  evening  ;  and  if  I  choose  to  stick 
here  on  my  own  upper  bridge,  yes,  sir,  or  sit 
a-cock-stride  of  a  boat  davit,  I  should  dam'  well 
like  to  see  the  man  who  will  turn  me  off." 

"  Captain  Evans,"  said  the  General,  "  I  believe 
I  have  to  apologise  to  you  on  several  counts.  I 
won't  begin  now,  because  to  do  the  thing  prop- 
erly requires  time  and  champagne,  and  at  present 
neither  are  handy.  Besides,  here  comes  Birch 
with  an  armful  of  rifles  and  a  bucket-load  of  car- 
tridges. Now,  captain,  may  I  trespass  on  your 
forbearance  a  little  further  ?  You  know  your  crew ; 
I  do  not.  Might  I  ask  you  to  deal  out  a  Marlin 
to  any  man  who  has  sufficient  command  over  the 
weapon  not  to  shoot  one  of  ourselves?" 

The  captain  grinned  acidly.  "  Now,"  he  said, 
"  that's  asking  for  what  you  won't  get.  You 
mustn't  expect,  sir,  an  old  sailor  to  be  a  bloom- 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  51 

ing  marksman.  I  can  find  you — let's  see — yes, 
ten  men  who  can  load  your  guns  and  pull  'em  off. 
but  if  you  want  me  to  bet  on  what  the  fools  will 
hit — well,  that's  a  form  of  gambling  which  is  too 
wild  for  me." 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  General,  "  that  will  do. 
The — er — the  boats  are  coming  off  now,  I  fancy, 
captain." 

"  That  is  so,"  said  Evans,  and  proceeded  lei- 
surely to  call  up  ten  of  the  ship's  company  one  by 
one,  and  deal  out  the  weapons  and  parcels  of 
cartridges.  The  men  were  all  hanging  about  the 
decks  in  restless  groups,  many  of  them  (I  think) 
a  good  deal  uneasy  at  the  turn  affairs  were  tak- 
ing. The  ten  who  had  Marlins  offered  took  them 
eagerly  enough,  and,  on  the  whole,  handled  them 
like  workmen.  They  ranged  themselves  along 
the  bulwarks  and  the  rail ;  and  the  rest  of  the 
crew,  getting  ready  their  sheath-knives  or  what- 
ever other  weapon  they  could  lay  grip  upon,  took 
up  station  between  them. 

The  captain  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  upper 
bridge,  puffing  at  a  "  Colorado  "  cigar  and  scrub- 
bing at  the  locks  of  his  12-bore  with  a  piece  of 
oily  rag.  Because  he  stayed,  I  suppose,  the  Gen- 
eral saw  fit  to  remain  also ;  and  because  the 
General  did  not  .get  under  cover,  I  could  not  see 
my  way  to  do  so  either,  though  I  didn't  fancy 
setting  myself  up  as  a  gratuitous  cockshy  with 
no  advantage  to  be  gained  out  of  it. 


52  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

By  this  time  the  boats  were  well  under  way  ; 
we  could  hear  the  "  cheep  "  of  oars  in  the  row- 
locks, coming  through  the  night  like  the  cry  of 
sea  fowl ;  and  presently  the  outline  of  the  boats 
themselves  began  to  loom  through  the  darkness. 
There  were  three  of  them  in  all,  heavy  ship's 
boats  every  one,  rowing  in  a  string,  one  behind 
the  other. 

Nearer  they  drew  and  nearer,  and  looking  along 
our  decks  I  saw  the  ragged  figures  of  the  mer- 
chant seamen  and  engineers  lying  down  in  wait 
for  them,  with  the  repeating  rifles  shouldered, 
and  forefingers  dallying  with  the  triggers.  The 
General  must  have  been  looking  too,  for  that 
moment  he  gave  his  first  command  and  asked 
them  to  be  steady.  "  Keep  your  heads,  boys," 
he  said,  "  and  don't  let  off  a  shot  till  I  say  the 
word." 

"  But  give  'em  hell,"  the  skipper  supplemented, 
"when  you're  told  to  shoot,  and  then  pump  in  a 
fresh  cartridge  and  give  it  to  'em  again." 

For  myself  I  was  watching  the  boats,  which, 
with  their  straddling  oars,  looked  like  some  un- 
couth beetles  crawling  up  out  of  the  gloom.  I 
could  see  them  accurately.  They  were  sticking 
to  a  direct  line,  steering  to  a  hair.  They  were 
heading  to  pass  the  steamer  twenty  yards  away 
along  her  starboard  side,  but  I  guessed  they 
would  port  their  helms  when  they  got  close  and 
run  us  on  board  against  the  lower  foredeck. 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  53 

In  the  middle  boat  a  man  was  groaning  heavily, 
but  except  for  this,  and  the  noise  of  the  oars, 
and  the  faint  tinkle  of  water  from  their  stems, 
they  came  on  in  silence.  I  pictured  every  man 
of  their  crew  with  a  weapon  resting  ready  on  the 
thwart  beside  him,  and  wondered  if  they  had  lan- 
yards made  fast  to  their  boat  hooks. 

Presently  they  came  to  the  spot  where  I  had 
told  myself  they  would  shift  their  helms  and — 
they  passed  it.  "  Fools  !  "  I  thought,  "  they  are 
going  to  try  and  board  further  aft.  Well,  so 
much  the  better  for  us ;  they  have  missed  their 
best  chance." 

But  they  swept  twice  the  steamer's  length  fur- 
ther on ;  they  drew  abeam ;  they  rowed  stolidly 
on  till  they  began  to  dissolve  into  filmy,  nebulous 
shapes  away  astern ;  and  never  once  did  they 
swerve  a  tiller's  breadth  from  that  dead  straight 
course.  Finally  they  vanished  down  the  narrows, 
and  the  sound  of  them  died  in  the  distance. 

If  I  was  puzzled  myself,  there  were  others  more 
so.  The  men  on  the  decks  below,  after  being 
wound  up  to  the  thought  of  a  desperate  engage- 
ment, were  exhibiting  a  most  lively  ingratitude 
at  the  let-off,  chiefly  in  the  form  of  oaths.  Cap- 
tain Evans,  beside  me,  was  a  strange  figure  of  be- 
wilderment, with  the  shotgun  nursed  in  the  crook 
of  his  left  arm,  and  his  bared  teeth  gleaming 
white  in  the  gloom,  with  the  cold  stump  of  the 
cigar  gripped  between  them. 


54  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

But  if  the  matter  was  strange  to  all  of  us,  it 
was  a  perfect  network  of  mystery  to  the  General. 
He  had  a  knowledge  of  the  place  ;  he  had  formed 
a  definite  idea  of  what  might  be  expected  from 
the  boats ;  and  when  they  passed  us  by  all  his 
theories  went  crash,  and  he  was  left  to  form  an 
entirely  new  set. 

"And  the  worst  of  it  is,"  he  explained  to  me, 
with  a  worried  laugh,  "  I'm  at  the  end  of  my 
tether.  Those  people  are  clearly  not  the  crew  I 
took  them  for,  or  they  certainly  would  have  hon- 
oured me  with  a  twenty-one  guns  salute  at  the 
very  least ;  but  who  out  of  the  whole  rest  of  the 
universe  they  may  be,  I  haven't  a  notion." 

"  Hullo,"  I  said,  "  they're  sending  up  a  rocket. 
That'll  be  from  just  past  the  entrance  to  the  nar- 
rows. And,  by  Jove,  there's  another  rocket  from 
the  sea." 

The  captain  ordered  up  a  quartermaster  to  the 
fore  cross-trees,  and  the  man  reported  a  steamer 
lying-to  a  mile  off  the  Key.  "  I  can  make  out  all 
three  of  her  lights,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  that  settles  where  the  boats  came  from, 
any  way,"  said  the  captain,  "and  perhaps  it  ex- 
plains why  they  didn't  meddle  with  us.  They'll 
come  down  on  us,  steamboat  and  all,  when  day- 
light shows.  That's  their  little  game.  And  we 
shall  have  our  ends  knocked  in.  Wait  a  minute, 
though ;  there's  another  tea-party  to  be  gone 
through  first.  Listen  to  that." 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  55 

From  the  head  of  the  bay  there  had  suddenly 
sprung  up  the  quick  thudding  of  a  propeller,  and 
presently  from  out  of  the  gloom  the  long,  lean 
form  of  a  slate-coloured  naphtha  launch  slid  out, 
making  directly  for  us. 

"  Stand  to  your  guns  there,  all  hands !  "  the  cap- 
tain sung  out  (quite  forgetting  in  his  excitement 
that  he  had  handed  away  the  command).  "  Quar- 
termaster ! " 

A  quartermaster  came  trotting  up  the  ladder. 

"  Blue  light,  quartermaster.  We'll  see  this 
beggar." 

The  quartermaster  took  a  blue  light  out  of  the 
chest  beside  the  binnacle,  and  as  he  struck  it,  and 
the  flame  hissed  out,  making  everything  lurid 
and  ghastly,  the  naphtha  launch  was  just  slowing 
down  a  score  yards  from  our  starboard  bow. 

Then  we  saw  a  strange  thing  happen.  The 
man  who  was  steering  her  (who  wore  a  great 
white  sombrero)  had  ported  his  helm  with  the 
evident  wish  to  run  alongside.  But  four  other 
men  from  the  floor  of  the  launch  sprang  upon 
him,  and  in  spite  of  his  furious  struggles  wrenched 
him  away  from  the  tiller.  A  revolver  cracked 
twice,  and  one  of  the  men  tossed  up  his  arms  and 
fell  backwards;  but  the  others  seemed  to  bear  the 
steersman  down,  and  one  of  them,  just  as  the 
launch  was  going  to  send  her  stem  into  our  plates, 
shoved  over  the  helm  with  his  back,  so  that  she 
swung  clear  a  bare  foot  from  the  Clarindella's  side. 


56  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

For  a  moment  we  could  see  down  clearly  into 
the  launch,  every  stain  in  her  standing  out  plain 
in  the  glare  of  the  firework,  and  we  reckoned  up 
four  dead  or  wounded  men  on  the  floor  of  her, 
the  one  just  shot,  who  was  also  hors  de  combat, 
and  the  trio  struggling  in  the  stern,  and  then,  with 
a  final  "  faff,"  the  blue  light  died  away,  and  the 
launch  slid  like  a  thin  grey  wraith  astern  of  us. 

"  It  wasn't  the  fault  of  that  fellow  who  was 
steering  that  we  are  not  fighting  this  moment," 
said  the  General  thoughtfully.  "  He  must  be  a 
pretty  plucky  sort  of  pirate  to  want  to  attack  us 
with  only  four  sound  men  at  his  heels.  What  do 
you  say,  captain?" 

"  These  theatricals  are  not  of  my  line,"  the  mas- 
ter replied.  "  I  don't  seem  to  catch  the  plot  of 
them.  Appears  to  me  we've  come  in  at  half-time, 
and  the  part  of  the  show  which  explains  the  whole 
lot  is  just  the  bit  we  missed.  The  only  thing  I 
want  to  know  now  is,  are  we  through,  or  are  we 
going  to  have  any  more?  There's  two  of  these 
curious  picnic  parties  passed  us  outwards ;  there's 
a  big  steamboat  sprung  up  out  of  nowhere  and 
hanging  about  outside ;  and  the  Lord  knows  how 
many  more  of  the  troupe's  on  the  prowl  about 
the  neighbourhood." 

"  The  probabilities  are,"  said  the  General 
thoughtfully,  "  that  we've  seen  the  last  of  them." 

"  I'm  glad  you  think  so,"  the  master  of  the 
Clarindella  retorted.  "  It's  a  comfortable  way  to 


WHITE  TORTUGA  KEY  57 

feel.  For  myself,  I'm  not  so  sweet  on  probabili- 
ties just  now,  because  this  programme  up  to  date 
seems  to  have  been  run  with  a  high-minded  con- 
tempt for  men.  What's  likely  to  happen  is  just 
the  very  thing  you  don't  expect ;  and  so,  by  way 
of  being  on  the  safe  side,  I'm  going  to  keep  my 
weather  eye  lifting  for  everything  that's  un- 
pleasant." 

"  Quite  right,"  said  Briggs ;  "  we  will  have  all 
hands  to  lie  upon  their  arms,  at  any  rate  till  day- 
break." 


CHAPTER  V 

A  DUET   IN  CANON 

WE  were  not  again  disturbed.  A  man  in  the 
fore-cross  trees  watched  the  big  steamer  pick  up 
the  three  boats,  swing  them  up  the  davits,  and 
then  steam  off  to  the  W.  N.  W.  The  slate-col- 
oured naphtha  launch  went  out  into  the  open  with- 
out lights;  but  there  the  churning  of  her  propeller 
stirred  up  a  phosphorescent  wake  like  the  tail  of 
a  comet,  and  the  lookout  watched  her  head  on  a 
compass  course  for  the  northward  till  she  dipped 
below  the  curve  of  the  sea. 

The  night  seemed  most  tediously  long;  the 
dew  fell  heavy  and  cold  as  rain,  and  drenched 
one  to  the  bone  ;  and  when  day  came  with  a 
gleam  of  sulphur  in  the  east  we  looked  like  men 
who  had  sat  through  a  deep  debauch.  The  Key 
lay  spread  out  before  us,  with  its  one  pine  and 
the  few  black  rocks  sprouting  from  a  sand  of 
aching  white. 

We  scanned  it  with  our  glasses.  There  were 
three  men  lying  stiff  and  still  upon  the  beach, 
the  heels  of  another  sprouting  up  over  the  ridge 
of  a  dune,  and  a  handful  of  rifles,  scattered  about 
at  random,  stood  out  sharply  against  the  sand. 
58 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  59 

A  boat  was  put  in  the  water,  and  four  drowsy 
seamen  rowed  Captain  Evans,  the  General,  and 
myself  ashore. 

Along  the  beach  the  sand  was  hard  as  a  deck 
beneath  our  feet,  but  it  softened  inland,  so  that 
one  had  to  plough  along  laboriously,  and  it  ed- 
died to  the  smallest  breeze  and  filled  one's  very 
soul  with  its  irritating  grittiness. 

Of  the  glaring  discomforts  of  the  place  we 
thought  but  little  on  that  first  landing ;  the  sleep 
peeled  out  from  our  eyes,  and  we  sweated  over 
the  crumbling  slopes  like  excursionists  turned 
from  a  train  to  see  a  spectacle.  The  relics  of  the 
mysterious  battle  of  overnight  were  spread  out 
(as  the  captain  said)  like  surprise  packets.  The 
struggle,  the  flight,  the  pursuit,  had  trampled 
over  every  square  fathom  of  the  Key ;  and  where 
a  man  fell,  there  he  was  given  a  savage  coup  de 
grdce,  and  there  he  lay,  an  uncouth,  twisted  shape 
for  the  sand  to  drift  mounds  over.  One  never 
knew  where  one  might  meet  the  next. 

Twenty  and  three  bodies  were  found  in  the 
first  unmethodical  survey ;  and  then,  by  quartering 
the  ground  systematically,  and  leaving  a  scrap  of 
paper  on  each,  we  brought  the  number  up  to 
twenty-nine,  together  with  one  poor  wretch  who 
was  not  entirely  dead. 

It  was  impossible  to  differentiate  between  the 
parties.  The  bodies  wore  no  uniform  ;  the  arms 
were  of  twenty  patterns.  Both  sides  seemed  to 


60  THi*.  FILIBUSTERS  , 

have  been  composed  of  the  most  irregular  of  ir- 
regular troops.  Even  in  nationality  there  was  no 
cohesion,  for  whilst  most  were  sallow  or  swarthy 
Spaniards,  there  were  three  unmistakable  Ger- 
mans amongst  them,  two  either  British  or  Ameri- 
cans, one  (in  yellow  gaiters  and  deer-stalker) 
English  beyond  every  doubt,  and  (leaving  out 
Mulattoes)  seven  thoroughbred  negroes. 

The  wounded  man  was  a  Swiss,  from  a  place  of 
which  I  now  forget  the  name,  in  the  Canton 
Valais.  He  was  hit  through  the  lungs;  lay  in 
no  particular  pain,  but  was  very  near  death.  He 
was  quite  aware  of  his  state,  cool  over  it,  and  in- 
tensely anxious  to  make  the  most  of  the  little 
span  left  him.  "  Have  you  paper,  sir,  and  a  bit 
of  pencil?"  were  the  first  words  he  uttered  on 
being  found.  "  If  you  please,  sir,  write  very 
quickly,"  he  said,  and  then  giving  the  name  and 
address  of  a  certain  Gretchen  at  Saas,  in  Grundt, 
poured  out  the  words  of  his  last  message  to  her 
at  such  a  speed  that  I  could  hardly  get  them 
down. 

Humanity  clamoured  that  I  should  act  as  this 
poor  wretch's  amanuensis ;  that  I  should  write 
like  a  machine  the  love  message  of  one  in  ex- 
tremis to  the  sweetheart  who  had  been  his  only 
thought  ever  since  he  fell;  that  I  should  let  his 
last  thoughts  be  of  her  undisturbed. 

Interest  for  the  cause  commanded  something 
very  different.  It  was  a  matter  of  vital  impor- 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  61 

tance  to  us  that  we  should  know  who  these  two 
parties  were  who  had  invaded  the  White  Tortuga 
Key,  and  had  fought  there  so  venomously.  If 
they  had  got  to  know  some  of  our  plans,  and  had 
endeavoured  to  intercept  them,  for  us  to  go  on 
as  arranged  would  be  to  court  shipwreck.  But 
if,  on  the  other  hand,  theirs  was  only  a  private 
vendetta,  which  seemed  against  the  face  of  all 
likelihood,  a  change  in  our  arrangements  might 
be  equally  disastrous.  So  that  either  way  it  was 
imperative  that  we  should  hear  from  this  Swiss 
definite  news  of  the  object  which  had  brought 
him  there. 

The  General  was  away  at  the  further  beach  of 
the  Key,  so  I  could  not  call  him  to  shift  over  the 
responsibility.  Captain  Evans,  who  came  up  to 
my  beckoning,  gave  little  comfort.  "  If  you  chip 
in,"  he  muttered,  as  I  went  on  scribbling,  "  and 
spoil  the  fellow's  last  message  to  his  girl,  you'll 
feel  a  brute  and  kick  yourself  about  once  a  fort- 
night for  the  next  six  years.  But  if  you  shirk  the 
job  I  guess  your  General  ought  to  shoot  you  out 
of  hand  for  neglecting  business.  Anyway,  you've 
got  to  hurry  up  and  decide,  because  our  friend 
here  is  pretty  nearly  through  his  shore  leave. 
Speaking  as  a  man  who's  seen  this  sort  of  thing 
before,"  the  captain  added  thoughtfully,  "  he'll 
be  wanted  to  toe  the  line  upstairs  in  -less  than  two 
minutes  now,  poor  devil." 

I  looked  at  the  Swiss  where  he  lay,  a  mere  limp 


62  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

huddle  of  clothes  in  a  gully  of  the  sand.  I  had 
pillowed  his  head  on  my  coat,  but  that  was  all  he 
had  let  me  do  for  him ;  his  face  was  growing 
livid ;  his  eyes  were  glazing ;  each  red  cough  he 
gave  went  nearer  to  strangling  him.  The  cap- 
tain's estimate  of  his  remaining  life-span  seemed 
absurdly  past  the  mark. 

In  a  scurry  of  regret  at  having  delayed  so 
long,  I  poured  out  my  questions  in  a  torrent. 
Who  were  the  two  bands  of  men,  I  asked,  that 
had  met  in  the  Key?  By  whom  were  they  sent  ? 
For  what  had  they  come?  Which  side  had 
won  ? 

He  stared  wide-eyed  at  the  cobalt  of  the  sky 
above,  and  answered,  "  I  do  not  know,  sir ;  ... 
and  say  to  my  darling  .  .  .  ' 

"Man,"  I  pleaded,  ''you  must  tell  one  thing. 
Are  you  from  Sacaronduca?  " 

He  nodded  vaguely,  and  murmured  something, 
of  which  I  could  only  catch  these  words  : — 

"...  Donna  Delicia  sent  ...  so  we  came 
.  .  .  others  here  first  ...  so  we  fought." 

Then  a  change  came  over  him.  With  a  sur- 
prising effort  he  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  thrust 
his  arms  upwards,  with  fingers  distended.  "  Oh, 
my  love,"  he  cried,  with  a  last  great  burst  of 
voice,  "  my  love,  I  die  without  coming  to  you. 
Find  me,  love,  and  follow  me  where  I  go.  Ah, 
darling,  you  hear  me  ?  Yes  ?  Gretchen !  My 
Gretchen ! " 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  63 

His  hands  dropped  down  limply,  his  head 
swayed  round  a  small  circle,  he  toppled  over 
heavily  on  to  his  side.  A  small  cloud  of  sand  rose 
at  the  blow  and  settled  back  with  a  tiny  pattering 
over  the  body.  The  man  lay  without  stirring. 
He  was  dead  before  he  fell. 

"  So  you  have  managed  to  catch  this  poor  fel- 
low in  the  nick  of  time,  Birch,  and  get  the  secret 
of  this  mysterious  engagement  of  him,  eh?" 

I  looked  round.  The  General  had  come  up 
noiselessly  behind  me  over  the  soft  sand,  and 
stood  looking  at  the  Switzer's  body.  I  turned  my 
head  away  from  him. 

"Have  you,"  he  asked,  " let  sentiment  get  in 
the  way  of  my  business,  Mr.  Birch  ?  " 

"  In  a  degree,"  I  said,  "yes.  This  poor  wretch 
has  been  dying  very  hard  ever  since  last  midnight, 
and  all  his  thoughts  have  been  for  a  girl  at  home 
who  was  to  have  been  his  wife.  He  prayed  me  to 
be  his  amanuensis  before  I  could  get  a  word  in, 
and  commenced  to  dictate  before  I  had  made  my 
stipulations.  When  I  began  to  question  him  about 
what  had  taken  place  here,  he  was  too  far  gone  to 
be  very  coherent.  Still,  I  noted  precisely  what  he 
said." 

I  repeated  the  scattered  words,  and  the  General 
listened  attentively.  I  saw  his  face  brighten  at 
once.  He  made  me  go  over  them  a  second  time, 
observing,  as  nearly  as  might  be,  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  words  (as  the  Swiss  had  made  them)  so 


64  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

that  he  might  guess  at  what  was  left  out.  Then 
he  nodded  his  head  and  said  "  Ah." 

He  did  not  add  anything  else  for  a  long  time, 
but  stood  with  folded  arms,  gazing  down  at  the 
dead  body  of  the  Swiss.  He  was  sunk  deep  in 
thought ;  and  I  do  not  think  the  matters  which 
passed  through  his  brain  were  all  grave  or  all  un- 
pleasant, because  once  I  saw  his  face  light  with 
the  outlines  of  a  smile.  In  the  end,  when  he 
turned  to  me  again,  his  preoccupation  was  gone, 
and  he  looked  at  ease  and  satisfied.  Still,  I  did 
not  get  off  without  a  reprimand. 

"My  dear  Birch,"  he  said,  "it  is  very  unpleas- 
ant for  me  to  have  to  remind  you  of  your  duty, 
but  it  is  a  thing  that  must  be  done.  As  it  happens, 
in  this  instance  there  is  no  harm  effected.  I  can 
read  between  the  lines,  and  know  exactly  what  has 
happened ;  what  manner  of  men  the  two  parties 
who  landed  on  this  Key  were,  and  what  they  came 
to  do.  It  is  a  matter  still  hidden  to  you,  and  I  learn 
it  only  by  a  fluke  ;  yet  if  you  had  acted  properly  you 
should  have  had  the  whole  tale  ready  for  me  from 
that  man's  lips. 

"  I  know  the  feeling  which  moved  you  to  write 
out  this  poor  broken  love  story,  and  in  ways  it  does 
you  credit.  But  you  have  another  call  upon  you 
before  such  matters  can  be  attended  to.  You  have 
pledged  yourself  to  a  certain  service,  and  I  who 
hold  your  word  cannot  accept  anything  less  than 
all.  If  we  are  to  win,  it  must  be  by  putting  every 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  65 

tittle  we  have  got  into  the  cause.  With  all  of  us, 
and  at  all  times,  it  must  be  before  all  things 
Sacaronduca." 

I  did  not  know  what  on  earth  to  say  in  reply,  so 
merely  bowed,  but  after  a  pause,  as  the  General  said 
nothing,  I  asked  who  he  made  out  the  two  parties 
had  been  who  had  come  to  the  Key. 

"  Ah,  that,"  he  said  drily,  "  is  a  matter  which 
(as  nobody  else  seems  to  know  it)  I  shall  keep  to 
myself  for  the  present.  I  will  merely  tell  you  that 
a  gang  of  ruffians  came  here,  presumably  in  that 
naphtha  launch,  to  raid  us,  and  that  a  friend  of 
mine  (whose  name  need  not  appear  just  yet)  sent 
a  detachment  to  help  us  in  case  of  attack.  We 
were  a  trifle  late  in  arriving,  and  as  the  two  differ- 
ent commands  met  on  the  shore,  they  had  it  out 
there  without  our  being  mixed  with  the  matter  at 
all." 

"  Which  won  ? "  I  asked.  "  May  one  hear 
that?" 

"  Certainly.  My  friend's  people  ;  the  ones  that 
went  off  in  the  three  ship's  boats  and  were  carried 
away  back  by  the  steamer." 

"Well,  if  one  may  judge  from  the  few  who  fol- 
lowed in  the  naphtha  launch,  your  lot  must  have 
gone  on  the  principle  of  '  smite  and  spare  not ' 
when  they  got  the  upper  hand." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  General,  "  they  were  little  better 
than  pirates." 

"Which  lot?"  I  asked. 
5 


66  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  My  dear  Birch,"  he  replied,  "  it  does  not  do  to 
be  too  nice  in  one's  inquiries  into  such  matters  in 
the  preliminary  stages  of  a  revolution.  I  suppose 
neither  party  of  last  night's  engagement  held 
commissions  from  any  openly  accepted  authority  ; 
and,  for  the  matter  of  that,  nor  do  we ;  but  I  take 
it  we  are  acting  as  we  consider  rightly,  and  I 
would  extend  the  same  charity  of  opinion  to  them. 
These  things  are  only  a  means  to  an  end.  After- 
wards, when  we  become  a  power  in  Sacaronduca, 
we  shall  naturally  discourage  such  excursions,  by 
way  of  preserving  the  Peace  of  the  Land.  But 
for  the  present  one  is  forced  to  countenance  them 
in  order  that  Peace  may  be  found." 

We  returned  on  board  the  Clarindella  then  and 
breakfasted  ;  and  a  boat's  crew  went  ashore  with 
shovels  and  buried  the  dead.  Later  in  the  day 
we  carried  off  the  big  double-roofed  tents  ;  and  the 
sailors  set  them  up  in  one  long,  straight  street 
along  the  hard,  level  beach.  The  camp  was  ready  ; 
we  had  to  look  out  now  across  the  sea,  which 
would  bring  us  the  men  to  fill  it. 

Again  Davis  was  transport  officer.  Of  course 
the  various  rendezvous  and  the  necessary  vessels 
had  been  chartered  and  arranged  for  long  before  ; 
but  many  things  might  arise  which  would  require 
a  master  hand  during  the  actual  embarkment ;  and 
so,  as  Davis  had  the  responsibility,  he  preferred  to 
have  the  actual  management. 

The  recruits  had  been   brought  near  the  scene 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  67 

of  action  with  a  good  deal  of  secrecy.  Each  of 
the  three  recruiting  officers  had  split  his  men  into 
squads  of  five,  had  sworn  them  to  silence,  and  had 
elected  one  as  corporal,  and  provided  him  with  a 
strict  route  and  money  for  all.  No  five  was  al- 
lowed to  travel  with  another  five,  and  the  final 
destination  was  kept  secret,  the  men  being 
merely  enlisted  for  "  a  filibustering  expedition," 
with  no  place  named.  Moreover,  only  fifteen 
men  rendezvoused  at  one  spot,  and  no  two  fives 
of  them  were  from  the  same  country. 

Humanly  speaking,  it  seemed  as  though  all 
reasonable  precautions  had  been  taken  to  prevent 
the  affair  getting  wind  till  the  proper  hour  came 
for  action.  But  it  was  evident  (from  the  black 
night  affair  amongst  the  sand  dunes  of  the  Key) 
that  the  news  of  our  business  had  leaked  out 
somewhere,  and  our  anxiety  was  not  small  as  we 
awaited  the  arrival  of  the  troops. 

They  were  to  be  gleaned  from  three  places  in 
Bermuda,  and  from  eight  in  the  Bahamas  ;  from 
nine  points  on  the  shallow  coasts  of  the  Carolinas 
and  Florida ;  from  Tampico,  Greytown,  and 
Panama.  As  an  additional  safeguard,  the  collect- 
ing steamer  was  (if  possible)  not  to  go  inshore  at 
any  of  these  places.  She  was  to  lie  off,  signal, 
and  let  the  men  come  off  to  her  in  boats. 

From  this  programme  it  will  be  seen  that  Davis's 
arrival  at  the  White  Tortuga  was  not  a  day  to  be 
predicted  with  any  certainty.  He  had  given  us 


68  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

his  own  rough  idea  of  the  date,  making  it  the  I2th 
of  September,  and,  being  a  man  of  the  nicest  ac- 
curacy, we  had  no  fancy  he  would  be  very  far  out 
in  his  reckoning. 

We  looked  out  for  him  on  the  loth  and  nth  ; 
we  expected  him  on  the  I2th  ;  on  the  I4th  we 
found  occasion  to  tell  one  another  repeatedly 
that  we  were  not  in  the  least  anxious,  and  on  the 
succeeding  days  we  owned  openly  that  anxiety  was 
making  us  ill. 

I  do  not  think  the  General  ever  slept  during  that 
time  of  waiting.  He  had  always  before  him  a  pic- 
ture of  his  position  if  troops  failed  to  arrive,  and 
the  ridiculousness  of  it  seared  him  like  a  brand- 
ing iron.  The  other  way  round  would  not  have 
been  a  tenth  so  bad.  One  can  conceive  (in  a  time 
of  desperation)  of  an  army  without  arms  taking 
some  shore-town  by  surprise,  wresting  for  itself 
weapons  and  stores,  and  proceeding  to  brilliant 
reckless  conquests.  But  to  sit  over  a  shipload  of 
the  most  modern  requirements  in  mechanical  war 
material  and  to  command  but  two  pairs  of  hands 
willing  to  handle  it,  was  to  be  set  on  a  pedestal  of 
the  cruellest  derision. 

The  2Oth  of  September  came,  the  2ist,  the  25th ; 
the  month  ended  and  October  began.  Still  there 
was  neither  sign  nor  tidings,  and  a  set,  fixed  look 
grew  on  the  General's  face  which  there  was  no 
putting  two  translations  on.  In  a  half-scared  way, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  new  month,  I  tried 


A  DUET  IN  CANON  69 

to  suggest  that  even  if  this  expedition  failed 
through  the  troops  notcomingto  us, it  was  possible 
to  get  up  a  second.  But  my  chief  shook  his  head 
decisively.  "  If,"  he  said,  staring  fixedly  out  over 
the  blue  Gulf  waters,  "  if  I  do  not  leave  this  place 
at  the  head  of  troops,  I  stay  here  for  always.  I 
could  bear  to  go  home,  Birch,  as  a  defeated  man, 
but  not  as  a  man  who  set  off  full  of  brilliant 
hopes  and  then  stopped  and  made  no  bid  for 
success." 

"  But,"  I  pleaded,  "  the  thing  could  be  kept 
quiet.  Or  if  a  few  words  did  leak  out,  the  rumour 
would  soon  blow  over  and  be  forgotten." 

"  I  am  selfish  enough  to  consider  myself  first, 
Birch.  I  am  the  principal  person  who  could  not 
forget.  I  used,"  he  added  plaintively,  "  to  think 
myself  a  brave  man  once.  But  I  have  not  the  pluck 
to  face  life  carrying  about  with  me  the  memory  of 
such  a  fiasco.  It  would  keep  me  in  eternal  thumb- 
screws. And,  besides,"  he  added  softly,  "  I  should 
lose  something  else  eternally,  something  that  is 
dearer  to  me  than  all  else  in  the  world.  No,"  he 
murmured, "  I  know  her  too  well.  She  could  love 
success,  she  might  even  bear  with  failure,  but  this  ! 
— I  do  not  think  she  would  even  bend  to  put  words 
to  it.  Just  one  look — yes,  I  can  picture  that  look 
— and  then,  '  Away  out  of  my  sight,  you  ! ' ' 

I  let  him  think  on  for  a  while  in  silence,  and 
then  suggested  quietly  that  Davis  might  come 
even  yet. 


70  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  I  shall  give  him  time,"  said  the  General,  "  till 
the  sixth.  After  that  you  will  leave  here  in  the 
Clarindella  with  Evans.  I  shall  stay.  There  will 
be  plenty  of  company  for  me,"  he  added,"  under 
the  sand." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  LADY  OF  WIT  WITH  THE  MASK 

IT  was  in  the  greatest  heat  I  ever  remember  that 
Davis  came  to  us  with  those  reckless  English 
troops  we  had  longed  for  so  desperately.  His 
steamer  came  in  sight  during  a  brazen  midday  on 
the  fifth  of  October,  the  last  burst  of  heat  of  the 
season.  We  lay  panting  under  the  mosquito  bars 
in  the  tents,  but  when  the  word  was  passed,  we 
rushed  out  into  the  merciless  glare  of  the  sun,  and 
stood  there  trembling. 

There  was  little  certainty  about  it  at  first  ;  we 
saw  the  ink  of  smoke  staining  the  cobalt  of  the 
heavens  where  they  rested  on  the  western  horizon  ; 
we  took  our  glasses  and  found  the  masts  of  a 
steamer  sprouting  from  the  waters  ;  and  then  we 
watched  her  with  dumb  longing  as  she  slowly 
climbed  up  over  the  hill  of  the  sea.  She  was  head- 
ing straight  for  the  channel,  but  closed  with  in- 
tolerable slowness.  She  showed  no  bunting  ;  but 
a  high,  closed-in  wheelhouse  (beside  other  things) 
bespoke  her  as  an  American  ship. 

Anxiety  bit  into  us  like  a  plague.  We  guessed 
a  thousand  things.  Only  one  matter  we  were  sure 
about :  Davis,  when  we  parted  from  him,  had 

7* 


72  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

chartered  a  British  vessel  to  bring  the  men  up  to 
the  White  Tortuga  Key. 

Suddenly  from  the  steamer's  upper  bridge  there 
fluttered  up  in  tiny  jerks  a  string  of  barbaric 
colours  to  the  wire  span  between  the  masts. 

"  They  are  signalling,"  the  General  said  in  a 
hard,  strained  voice.  "  Four  flags,  Birch." 

"  F.  B.  Q.  C,"  I  read  slowly  through  my  glass 
as  the  bunting  blew  out. 

"  What's  that  mean  ?  "  the  General  asked. 

"  We  must  hunt  it  out  in  the  signal  book,  and 
that's  on  board." 

"  Then  why  the  devil/'  he  shouted  irritably, 
"haven't  you  got  it  here,  sir?"  He  started  run- 
ning, halted  on  the  lip  of  the  beach,  and  hailed 
the  Clarindella.  The  second  mate,  paint  brush 
in  hand,  answered  him. 

"  What  are  the  letters  ?  " 

"  F.  B.  Q.  C.,"  the  General  roared  back. 

The  man  turned  doubtingly,  read  the  flags  for 
himself,  and  went  into  the  chart-house.  It  seemed 
half  an  hour  before  he  came  out  again,  with  the 
paint  brush  between  his  teeth,  and  the  book  in  the 
fork  of  a  dirty  fist.  He  turned  over  the  pages 
slowly,  found  the  one  he  wanted,  and  ran  a  finger 
most  deliberately  down  the  column. 

"  F.  B.  Q.  C.,  says  he's  got  '  troops  on  board.'  ' 
•  "  Ah,"  said  the  General,  and  that  was  all.  He 
did  not  utter  another  word  ;  he  did  not  even  turn 
to  acknowledge  my  congratulations ;  he  stood 


THE  LADY  OF  WIT  73 

there  with  the  wavelets  tinkling  beside  his  feet 
like  a  man  just  released  from  the  twistings  of  an 
ugly  dream. 

The  steamer  came  nearer  at  speed,  wasting  coal 
lavishly.  Someone  was  pressing  her  to  the  top  of 
her  speed,  and  I  guessed  the  name  of  that  man 
to  be  Davis.  A  yellow  ball  was  run  up  to  her 
foremast  truck,  and  when  she  opened  the  neck  of 
the  outer  channel,  and  steered  on  the  first  two 
marks,  they  broke  it  out — a  sulphur-coloured  flag 
with  a  crimson  volcano  erased  in  the  fly ;  the  new 
State  ensign  of  Sacaronduca. 

We  had  a  boat  on  the  beach,  and  the  crew  were 
standing  by.  "  Won't  you  go  out,  sir,  and  meet 
them  ?"  I  asked. 

He  nodded  and  went  with  me  to  the  boat,  tak- 
ing the  tiller  himself.  The  American  steamer  was 
coming  with  slow  care  down  the  zigzag  channel, 
her  rails  lined  with  men's  faces  under  every  kind 
of  headgear.  An  accommodation  ladder  came 
down  from  its  davit  with  squeaks  and  jerks,  and 
the  steamer  slowed  up  to  a  halt  astern  of  the  Clar- 
indella.  As  the  anchor  plunged  out  of  the  hause 
hole,  we  hooked  on  alongside. 

The  men,  seeing  for  the  first  time  the  leader 
they  were  to  serve  under,  greeted  him  with  wild 
booming  cheers.  Davis,  hat  in  hand,  stood  in  the 
gangway  to  receive  him,  got  up  "  en  grand  tenue.*' 
Davis  was  very  much  master  of  the  ceremonies. 

Briggs  halted  at  the  gangway  and  made  them  a 


74  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

sixty-word  speech,  addressing  them  as  gentlemen 
(a  title  which  the  majority  of  them  had  earned  by 
birth)  and  complimenting  them  on  their  business- 
like appearance.  "  I  had  looked  for  good  men," 
he  said,  "  but  you,  gentlemen,  appear  for  my  pur- 
pose to  be  of  the  very  best.  I  cannot  promise 
you  a  long  campaign.  I  can  see  that  you  will 
bring  our  enterprise  to  a  brilliant  climax  before 
worse  troops  would  have  opened  the  first  paral- 
lels. And  afterwards  there  will  be  peace  and 
pleasure  for  all,  and  healthiness  and  prosperity 
such  as  few  of  us  have  known  before." 

"  Three  more  big  cheers,  boys,"  someone  sang 
out,  and  the  hats  swirled  in  the  air  and  the  cheers 
were  roared  with  a  fine  enthusiasm. 

Orders  were  given  to  disembark  at  once.  Coffin 
and  Carew  were  near  the  gangway  already ;  Flu- 
ellen  came  down  from  the  upper  bridge  where  he 
had  been  listlessly  smoking  cigarettes,  and  these 
three  superintended  the  movement. 

Davis  the  General  took  aside  to  the  chart-house 
for  an  obvious  reason,  and  I  went  with  them. 

"  There  can  be  no  two  questions  about  what 
you  wish  to  hear  first,  sir,"  said  Davis  as  we  sat 
down,  "  and  I  tell  you  from  the  beginning  it  is  not 
to  my  credit  that  we  are  here  at  all.  A  miracle 
was  necessary  to  bring  us,  and  it  took  someone 
else  to  work  it.  A  lady,  I  think,  was  the  person, 
or,  at  any  rate,  a  young  woman." 
^  "  Eh  ?  "  said  the  General,  leaning  over  the  table 


THE  LADY  OF  WIT  75 

with  a  flush  springing  up  on  his  face.  "  How 

could  she — how  could  anyone,  I  mean Look 

here,  Davis,  I  don't  understand.  Hadn't  you 
better  give  me  your  report  fully  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sir.  I  picked  up  the  steamer  as  ar- 
ranged, called  with  her  at  all  the  places  men- 
tioned in  this  paper  marked  F,  and  picked  up  at 
each  the  number  of  men  mentioned  in  the  margin. 
Only  one  man  had  failed  to  appear  at  his  rendez- 
vous, and  he  was  a  British  Columbian,  who  got 
shot  in  a  train  riot  (of  his  own  raising)  on  the 
C.  P.  R.  I  had  with  me  by  that  time  Mr.  Fluel- 
len,  Mr.  Coffin,  and  most  of  the  men,  and  it  only 
remained  for  me  to  pick  up  Sir  William  and  forty 
others  and  come  straight  on  here  with  (as  I  reck- 
oned) two  days'  margin  inside  the  appointed  time. 
My  next  place  of  call  was  the  little  village  of  Santa 
Clara,  on  the  Mexican  Gulf  coast.  We  steamed 
up  there  after  dark,  lying  about  three  miles  out 
on  account  of  shoal  water,  and  made  the  night 
signal.  It  was  answered  from  the  beach.  An 
hour  afterwards  a  launch  came  out — a  naphtha 
launch,  painted  slate  colour." 

The  General  tapped  the  table  thoughtfully.  "  I 
wonder  if  that  was  our  friend,"  he  murmured. 

"  The  launch  came  quickly  up  with  us,  making, 
as  it  seemed,  for  the  accommodation  ladder.  I 
noticed  she  carried  over  her  bows  a  spar  with  what 
seemed  like  an  oil  drum  on  the  end  of  it ;  but 
(and  here  my  culpability,  sir,  comes  in)  it  never 


76  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

occurred  to  me  to  be  suspicious  of  anything 
wrong." 

Davis  paused.  "  From  what  you  have  said,"  the 
General  remarked,  "  I  guess  the  oil-drum  arrange- 
ment to  be  a  primitive  kind  of  spar  torpedo,  such 
as  the  Russians  used  against  Turkish  war  vessels 
in  the  Danube." 

"  It  was." 

"  But,"  the  General  added,  "  your  story,  and  a 
matter  which  happened  on  the  Key  here,  told  me 
this.  I  do  not  fancy  I  should  have  discovered  it 
for  myself  had  I  been  in  your  shoes  on  the 
steamer." 

Davis  stood  up  and  bowed  ;  then  resumed  his 
chair  and  continued  : 

"  I  was  on  the  upper  bridge  myself,  and  not  till 
too  late  did  I  make  out  that  the  naphtha  launch 
carried  but  one  man  on  board  of  her.  He  came 
out  of  the  darkness  at  full  speed  ;  did  not  slow 
down  ;  but  holding  the  tiller  under  his  knee  steered 
so  as  to  sweep  past  a  fathom  from  the  gangway. 
In  one  hand  he  had  the  fall  of  a  tackle  which 
formed  a  kind  of  lift  to  the  top  of  the  spar  ;  in  the 
other  he  held  the  lanyard  of  a  trigger. 

"  My  fellows  saw  him,  and  some  of  them  under- 
stood his  business,  and  yelled.  Two  of  them  who 
carried  revolvers  (without  orders)  fired.  But  they 
did  not  hit,  and  the  naphtha  launch  came  on. 
Then  in  an  instant,  so  it  seemed,  the  spar  was 
lowered  into  the  water  with  a  surge,  the  lanyard 


THE.  LADY  OF  WIT  77 

pulled,  and  an  explosion  followed  which  careened 
the  steamer  till  her  bridge  end  splashed  the  water. 
Then  she  recovered  herself,  and  at  once  began  to 
settle  down." 

"Ah,"  said  the  General.     "And  the  launch?" 

"  She  broke  in  two  and  went  down  like  a  stone. 
That  spar  torpedo  was  more  destructive  than  the 
scoundrel  reckoned  upon." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  General  thoughtfully. 
"  I  think  you  had  a  coolly  desperate  man  to  deal 
with  there,  who  would  be  aware  that  an  oil-drum 
of  dynamite  kicks  at  both  ends  when  it  is  exploded, 
and  so  would  be  ready  for  the  next  move.  I 
should  say  he  was  quite  ready  to  swim  when  the 
launch  failed  him.  Now  if  that  man  did  escape,  I 
would  offer  a  good  deal  to  win  him  on  to  my  side." 

"  Then  I  am  afraid,  sir,"  said  Davis  rather  stiffly, 
"  that  you  will  be  disappointed.  I  conceived  it 
my  duty  to  order  any  man  with  weapons  to  fire 
on  him  if  he  reappeared,  and  as  it  happened  not 
a  bullet  was  let  off.  He  must  have  sunk  once  and 
for  all." 

"  Well,"  said  the  General,  "  we  will  take  it  that 
our  cause  is  rid  of  a  very  dangerous  enemy.  And 
now,  what  happened  to  you  next  ?  " 

"  We  had  a  dozen  square  yards  of  plate  crum- 
pled away  beneath  the  water-line  on  two  sides  of 
a  bulk  head,  and  we  were  sinking  fast.  The  en- 
gine-room and  the  fireholds  were  luckily  untouched, 
and  so  we  gave  her  the  steam  and  went  for  the 


78  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

beach  with  all  the  speed  we  could  make.  She  took 
the  ground  in  three  fathoms,  and  then  the  surf 
got  her  in  charge  and  drove  her  still  further  on. 
One  boat  was  swamped  in  the  lowering,  but  with 
the  other  three  we  all  got  safely  on  the  shingle. 
Not  a  man  was  drowned  ;  not  a  man  retained  his 
freedom." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  the  General  asked. 

"  They  had  a  guard  of  honour  drawn  up  to 
receive  us,"  Davis  said  grimly ;  "  a  battery  of  ar- 
tillery, a  regiment  of  foot,  and  two  squadrons  of 
Lancers.  We  came  ashore  single  boat  loads  at  a 
time,  with  five  revolvers  to  the  whole  ship's  com- 
pany. Mr.  Fluellen  wished  to  fight ;  Mr.  Coffin 
said  he  would  do  whatever  anybody  fancied  ;  but 
I  saw  no  use  in  being  killed  without  the  smallest 
shred  of  profit  to  you,  sir,  or  Sacaronduca,  or  any- 
one else." 

"  Quite  right,"  said  the  General,  with  a  nod. 

"  So  under  protest  we  surrendered,  were  marched 
into  the  church,  and  were  gaoled  there  for  thir- 
teen days.  What  they  intended  to  do  with  us  we 
did  not  know,  and  I  do  not  think  they  had  made 
up  their  minds.  Probably  a  messenger  had  been 
sent  to  some  bigger  town  to  ask  for  instructions, 
and  as  the  roads  out  there  are  bad,  and  transit 
consequently  slow,  these  were  long  in  arriving. 
So  in  the  meantime  they  kept  strong  patrols 
round  the  church  both  night  and  day,  fed  us  well, 
let  us  do  practically  what  we  liked. 


THE  LADY  OF  WIT  79 

"  I  don't  think  the  men  found  the  time  fall  par- 
ticularly heavy.  One  young  sportsman  from  the 
Cape  managed  somehow  or  other  to  get  hold  of  a 
roulette  table,  and  we  had  the  whole  crew  of  them 
gambling  for  each  twelve  hours  on  end.  There  is 
an  Eton  boy  from  New  South  Wales  who  is  a 
millionaire  twice  over,  I  believe,  if  only  he  could 
get  half  his  I.  O.  U.'spaid.  And  there  is  a  stone- 
broke  Irish  peer  who  had  mortgaged  his  prospect- 
ive loot  to  the  tune  of  ten  thousand  pounds. 
We  three  officers  did  not  conceive  it  our  duty  to 
scare  them  too  soon  about  the  gravity  of  the  posi- 
tion." 

"  You  had  formed  your  own  plans,  though  ?  " 

Davis  spread  his  hands  helplessly.  "  How  could 
we,  sir  ?  Our  prison  was  most  strongly  guarded  ; 
we  were  without  arms ;  we  knew  nothing  of  the 
country  outside,  except  that  there  was  no  shipping, 
and  no  overland  route  to  Sacaronduca.  If  we  had 
attempted  the  utmost,  we  should  have  done 
nothing  more  than  make  ourselves  look  undigni- 
fied." 

"  Which  you  considered,"  said  the  General,  "  a 
worse  fate  than  being  killed." 

"  I  may  be  humbly  born,  sir,"  said  Davis  stiffly, 
"but  I  have  the  instincts  of  a  gentleman,  and  I 
shrank  from  putting  myself  in  the  way  of  ridicule." 

"  A  king  would  have  done  the  same,"  said 
Briggs.  "  But  get  on  with  your  tale,  man.  Get 
on/' 


8o  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  Why,  sir,  I've  so  thin  a  tale  to  tell  that  I  am 
almost  ashamed  to  bring  it  out.  There  was  no 
government  we  could  apply  to  for  protection. 
We  were  practically  outlaws.  We  were  in  the 
hands  of  a  power  which  is  noted  for  its  lawless- 
ness, and  which  (owing  to  past  events)  has  a  hor- 
rible fear  of  filibusters.  We  were  entirely  help- 
less to  avoid  any  penalty  they  might  choose  to 
put  upon  us.  We  could  not  guess  what  would 
happen,  and  did  not  try.  We  expected  every- 
thing except  having  another  steamer  given  and 
being  sent  off  along  our  ways.  Yet  here  we  are 
with  you  on  the  White  Tortuga  Key. 

"  I  cannot  explain  these  things  to  you,  because 
I  do  not  understand  them  myself.  I  only  know 
that  one  night  half  our  guard  rose  upon  the  other 
half,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  skirmish  the  church 
door  opened  and  a  lady  with  a  mask  came  in,  who 
very  civilly  told  us  to  be  off.  We  should  find 
our  own  boats,  she  said,  on  the  beach,  and  a 
steamer  was  lying  off  whose  master  would  take  us 
on  board,  and  afterwards  go  wherever  we  bade 
him. 

"  '  This  is  great  news,  madame,'  says  Coffin, '  and 
whom  have  we  to  thank  for  this  most  suitable  gaol 
delivery  ? ' 

"'  Me, 'says  she. 

"  '  'Tis  a  curious  thing,'  says  Coffin.  '  I'm  sure 
we  must  have  met  before,  but  for  the  life  of  me 
I've  been  rude  enough  to  forget  your  name.' 


THE  LADY  OF  WIT  81 

"  She  put  up  a  small,  very  white  hand  to  hide 
her  laugh,  and  I  noticed  a  wedding  ring.  '  I  be- 
lieve, sir,'  she  says,  '  I've  forgot  it  too  just  this 
moment,  though  it's  probable  someone  else  will 
remember  it  afterwards  and  introduce  us  in  form 
next  time  we  meet.  But  for  the  present,  if  you 
want  to  make  a  note,  you  might  put  me  down  as 
a  Friend  to  Sacaronduca.' 

"  '  Well,'  says  Coffin,  '  I'm  sure  we're  all  might- 
ily obliged  to  you,  madame,  for  your  thoughtful- 
ness  in  ridding  this  building  of  our  wicked  selves 
and  letting  us  get  off  after  business  again  ;  but  if 
you'd  lift  your  mask  I'm  sure  you'd  add  a  lot  to 
the  obligation.' 

"  '  I  might  scare  you  if  I  did,'  she  said. 

"  '  Of  that  I  must  keep  my  doubts,'  says  Coffin. 

"  She  laughed.  '  Then,  I  think,  sir,'  she  said, 
'  we  are  wasting  time  which  may  be  valuable.  I 
have  contrived  to  set  by  the  ears  the  troops  who 
are  told  off  to  guard  you  ;  but  they  may  tire 
before  long  of  cutting  one  another  to  bits,  and 
join  hands  again  to  attend  you  ;  and  so  you 
would  put  me  to  the  pains  of  coming  to  nurse 
you  again.' 

"  '  Madame,'  says  Coffin,  '  we  are  only  human. 
This  is  tempting  us  to  stay  on  here  for  ever.' 

"  'You  silly  fellow,'  says  she,  laughing,  'prob- 
ably I  should  send  a  deputy  next  time.  But  if 
you  want  to  see  me  again,  I  should  be  very  pleased 
to  receive  you  on  one  of  my  afternoons,  and  give 


82  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

you  tea — or,  but  let  me  see,  in  your  country  you 
prefer  whisky  and  soda.  Is  it  not  so  ? ' 

"  '  But  where  ? ' 

"  '  Why,  at  my  own  house,  to  be  sure,'  says  she. 

" '  Er — Paris,  isn't  it  ?  '  said  Coffin. 

"  '  Paris,  no.  I'm  a  Sacaronducan,  and/  she 
added,  backing  towards  the  church  door, '  being  a 
person  of  position,  naturally  I  live  at  Dolores. 
Gentlemen,'  she  says,  with  a  pretty  bow  to  the 
whole  wondering  crowd  of  us,  '  to  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  all  quickly  again,'  and  with  that  slipped 
out  into  the  darkness. 

"  Coffin  darted  out  after  her ;  I  at  his  heels ; 
but  we  caught  no  other  sight  of  her.  We  saw  a 
pair-horsed  carriage  driving  away  at  speed,  and  if 
she  was  not  in  that,  she  must  have  vanished  like 
a  wraith. 

"  Coffin  was  for  following  the  carriage  to  see  if 
a  lady  so  interested  in  Sacaronduca  would  not 
come  with  us  to  take  new  possession  of  it ;  but 
Fluellen  and  I  said  no ;  and  with  the  men  we 
marched  down  to  the  beach  with  all  the  speed  we 
could  make.  Twice  small  knots  of  cavalry  rode 
up  to  us,  but  we  went  at  them  with  our  naked 
hands,  and  they  did  us  the  honour  to  turn  their 
horses ;  so  that  we  got  down  to  the  beach  without 
a  man  hurt ;  and  found  our  own  boats  waiting, 
and  three  other  boats  beside. 

"  A  steamer's  three  lights  swung  in  the  offing  ; 
her  hull  was  thrown  up  black  against  a  swill  of 


THE  LADY  OF  WIT  83 

phosphorescence ;  and  half  an  hour  later  we  were 
on  board  of  her,  asking  questions.  But  the 
steamer's  master  could  tell  us  nothing  of  frivolous 
interest.  He  knew  only  that  his  ship  was  placed 
at  our  entire  command  as  a  transport,  and  that 
was  exactly  all. 

"  '  It's  of  naw  use  coming  to  me,  me  lads,'  said 
he.  '  I've  been  chartered  by  cable,  and  the  money 
paid.  An  agent  did  it.  I've  been  kept  to  secrecy 
over  what  you  want  to  know,  in  the  simplest 
manner  possible.  They've  told  me  nothing.  I'm 
to  take  my  herders  from  a  Mr.  Andrew  Davis  till 
we  pick  up  the  White  Tortuga  Key,  and  after- 
wards from  a  General  Esteban  Puentos,  who  also 
(it  appears)  writes  himself  "  Stephen  Briggs." 
I've  signed  on  to  remain  in  this  employ  for  as  long 
as  the  steamer's  required/  and  the  master  added 
with  a  chuckle,  '  I  don't  mind  how  long  it  lasts. 
The  pay's  very  much  to  my  liking.' ' 

"  So,"  said  the  General,  with  a  queer  look,  "  you 
heard  no  more  of  the  lady  who  was  so  instrumental 
in  rescuing  you  ?  " 

"  Not  a  whisper,  sir,  except  amongst  ourselves," 
Davis  replied.  "  We  steamed  on  about  our  busi. 
ness,  picked  up  the  balance  of  the  men — all  save 
twenty-three  who  failed  to  come  off  at  the  rendez- 
vous— and  then  came  straight  here." 

"  Twenty-three  men  missing,"  said  the  General. 
"  That  is  a  serious  item.  At  what  place  did  they 
fail  you  ?  " 


84  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Davis  mentioned  three  points  on  the  shores  of 
the  Mexican  Gulf. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  General,  "  Carew's  men  all, 
aren't  they?" 

"  No,  sir ;  five  were  recruited  by  Mr.  Fluellen  in 
British  Columbia.  But  the  rest  are  Sir  William's." 

"  Well,"  said  the  General,  "  gone  they  are,  who- 
ever raised  them.  It's  a  great  pity  that  we  shall 
be  weakened  by  so  many,  but  it  can't  be  helped. 
By  the  way,  what's  the  matter  with  Carew's  left 
hand  ?  I  see  he  carries  it  wrapped  up." 

"  Oh,  he  found  the  time  of  waiting  hang  heavy, 
and  as  there  was  snipe  shooting  near  him,  he  bor- 
rowed a  gun  and  tried  for  some  sport.  His  third 
day  at  it  the  gun  burst  in  his  hand  and  nearly  cost 
him  three  fingers.  The  shock  knocked  him  down, 
and  in  falling  his  machete  dropped  out  of  its 
sheath  and  gave  him  a  nasty  gash  on  the  thigh. 
In  fact,  what  with  that  and  losing  the  men,  he 
'seemed  (if  one  may  use  a  vulgarism)  rather  down 
on  his  luck." 

"  Some  casualties  were  to  be  expected,"  said 
the  General.  "  Let  us  be  thankful  there  are  no 
worse.  But  now,  if  you  please,  we  will  all  go 
ashore.  I  intend  to  serve  out  arms  and  uniforms, 
and  begin  drilling  the  men  into  military  shape  this 
very  night.  Time  presses  on  us.  I  have  fixed 
with  my  friends  in  Sacaronduca  a  day  for  the  revo- 
lution to  begin,  and  it  would  be  a  bad  omen  if  we 
disappointed  them." 


CHAPTER  VII 

INITIA  BELLI 

* 

To  describe  the  dull  mechanism  of  drill  by  which 
the  raw  material  culled  from  the  by-ways  of  Brit- 
ish colonies  was  transformed  into  the  most  won- 
derfully efficient  pocket  army  a  commander  ever 
handled,  would  make  a  piece  of  reading  inexpress- 
ively tedious.  Many  of  the  fellows  had  already 
served  in  the  regular  services,  or  with  colonial 
troops  which  were  more  or  less  irregular.  Most 
were  (as  I  have  said)  men  of  good  family,  who, 
with  the  various  devils  of  debt,  ill-luck,  and  a 
thousand  other  difficulties  dinging  on  their  heels 
at  home,  and  the  chance  of  fortune,  excitement, 
and  another  spell  of  soft  living  ahead,  made  un- 
equalled soldiers.  And  the  balance,  if  they  could 
not  talk  over  their  camp-fires  of  the  'Varsity  and 
the  public  schools,  of  Hurlingham  and  the  clubs, 
were  all  the  keener  to  outdo  the  "swells"  who 
were  their  covering  files. 

One  might  say  that  our  forces  were  divided  into 
the  regulation  foot,  horse,  and  guns ;  for  though 
we  had  as  yet  no  mounts,  and  all  (save  for  a  small 
corps  who  served  the  machine  guns)  went  through 

85 


86  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

infantry  drill,  yet  there  was  a  squadron  of  eighty 
strong  set  apart  to  act  as  cavalry  so  soon  as  we 
could  get  requisition  animals  to  put  beneath  them. 
These  men  were  all  fellows  who  had  served  in 
that  arm  in  Australia  or  Southern  Africa,  and,  in- 
deed, came  to  us  as  soldiers  ready  made. 

We  were  singularly  fortunate,  too,  in  our  gun- 
ners, having  no  less  than  eight  men  who  had  han- 
dled Maxims  previously,  of  whom  three  had  actu- 
ally fought  them  in  active  service ;  so  that,  all  of 
the  corps  being  fine  horsemen,  when  the  guns 
were  mounted  on  their  galloper  carriages,  we  had 
faith  that  they  would  never  break  down  through 
ignorant  bungling,  and  a  comforting  hope  that 
they  would  be  vastly  useful  to  us. 

Behold  us,  then,  having  broken  camp  at  the 
White  Tortuga  Key,  and  embarked  on  the 
transports  Clarindella,  Captain  Evans,  and  Silas 
Bloomer,  Captain  Torganssen.  We  had  cleared 
the  outermost  shoals  of  the  Key  with  the  last  of 
the  day,  and  stood  out  across  the  smooth  Gulf 
water  to  where  the  sun's  afterglow  glowered  in 
the  West.  It  was  then  for  the  first  time  that  the 
General  announced  to  us  the  name  of  the  spot  at 
which  he  intended  to  commence  his  campaign. 

"  I  shall  take  Los  Angeles,"  he  said. 

To  those  of  us  who  knew  the  coast,  the  an- 
nouncement gave  a  bit  of  a  thrill.  We  had  dis- 
cussed the  matter  a  hundred  times  already ;  had 
pitched  upon  a  hundred  places  where  for  a  hun- 


INITIA  BELLI  87 

dred  reasons  the  landing  should  be  effected  ;  but 
had  never  once,  even  in  the  most  reckless  mood, 
cast  our  thoughts  upon  Los  Angeles.  It  was  the 
principal  seaport  of  Sacaronduca,  the  second  town 
of  the  Republic ;  it  held  a  garrison  of  3,000  regu- 
lar troops,  and  was  commanded  on  its  sea  face 
with  concrete  forts  armed  with  weapons  brought 
from  Europe  only  a  year  ago.  It  was  a  place 
incredibly  strong ;  a  fortress  written  about  with 
diagrams  in  the  professional  literature  to  school 
engineers ;  and  he  was  a  very  bold  man  who  would 
ram  his  head  against  it. 

But  it  was  not  our  part  to  criticise  or  comment, 
and  (whatever  we  felt  in  our  own  private  stom- 
achs) outwardly  we  were  full  of  rejoicing.  We 
spoke  with  glee  on  the  moral  effect  which  the 
capture  of  such  a  place  would  have  upon  the 
Cause. 

The  night  came  away  clear  and  dark ;  but  later, 
when  we  neared  the  coast,  a  great  white  globe  of 
moon  burned  over  the  waters  behind  us  like  some 
garish  arc  lamp.  We  must  have  been  seen  by 
sentries  on  shore  from  the  first  moment  our  mast- 
trucks  rose  up  out  of  the  sea,  in  clean-cut  black 
against  the  radiance. 

It  was  the  very  daring  of  the  plan  which  gave 
it  hope.  Ours  were  two  small  armed  merchant 
vessels  of  no  remarkable  speed  ;  the  guns  of  Los 
Angeles  could  have  sunk  an  ironclad  navy  with 
ease  and  convenience.  We  had  separated  from 


88  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

one  another  before  rising  the  land,  sheering  some 
five  miles  apart,  so  that  we  steered  in  as  strangers 
to  one  another  on  converging  courses.  Of  course 
it  was  a  coincidence  (from  the  shore  point  of 
view)  that  we  should  both  pass  the  outer  pier 
heads  within  thirty  seconds  of  one  another. 

Then  came  the  difficulty.  The  harbour  was 
long  and  lean ;  a  river,  in  fact,  dredged  out  and 
embanked  with  stone ;  and  the  law  ran  that  all 
vessels  should  drop  an  anchor  at  the  entrance  of 
the  port,  and  wait  till  the  doctor's  boat  should 
choose  to  come  off  and  give  them  pratique.  To 
do  this  one  had  to  slow  down  outside. 

We  did  not.  We  ran  between  the  pier  heads  at 
thirteen  knots,  with  black  smoke  rolling  in  greasy 
coils  from  our  funnels,  and  live  cinders  leaping  out 
amongst  it.  The  General  knew  the  harbour  like 
a  book,  and  he  stood  at  the  con  on  the  Clarin- 
della's  upper  bridge.  The  Silas  Bloomer  followed 
close  in  her  wake. 

To  give  the  forts  due  credit,  they  were  not  slow 
to  wake.  Sentries'  rifles  cracked  in  warning  on 
every  side  of  us,  and  two  of  the  water  batteries 
summoned  us  to  stop  with  unshotted  guns.  Lights 
kindled  in  the  embrasures.  Flash  signals  winked 
their  messages  all  round  the  cup  of  the  hills.  But 
the  big  guns  were  neither  manned  nor  loaded ; 
and  by  the  time  the  gunners  had  their  breech- 
blocks in  and  out,  cartridges  home,  and  sights 
aligned,  we  were  far  too  dangerous  a  mark  to  fire 


INITIA  BELLI  89 

at.  We  had  run  (amid  much  wailing  from  Cap- 
tain Evans)  with  noise  and  violence  against  the 
Custom  House  quay  ;  had  made  fast  warps  ashore 
in  the  fastest  time  in  experience,  and  had  landed 
with  the  derricks  five  light  machine  guns  on  field 
carriages.  There  was  not  a  gangway  put  over. 
The  men  jumped  from  the  bulwarks  on  to  the 
wharf.  They  fell  into  rank  as  the  keys  of  a  piano 
leap  up  when  a  player  rests.  But  only  for  a 
moment.  The  next  instant,  at  word  of  command, 
they  split  into  three  companies,  and  went  off  at 
the  double  through  different  streets. 

The  forts  were  ready  to  fire  then,  but  there  were 
only  two  deserted  steamers  and  the  huge  stone 
Custom  buildings  of  Los  Angeles  to  vent  their 
shells  upon.  The  invaders  had  gained  a  way 
into  the  white  streets  of  the  city  without  losing 
a  man. 

So  far  General  Briggs  had  succeeded  brilliantly 
in  (so  to  speak)  getting  under  the  forts  with  no 
other  weapon  than  strategy ;  but  the  occupying  a 
few  streets  of  the  city  and  holding  the  entirety  of 
it  as  a  conqueror  were  two  very  different  matters. 
There  were  three  thousand  troops  in  garrison  ;  we 
had  a  bare  two  hundred  and  fifty  all  told  ;  and  it 
was  a  certain  thing  that,  unless  we  somehow  con- 
trived to  pin  them,  they  would  most  assuredly 
beset  us. 

But  it  required  no  great  astuteness  on  the 
General's  part  to  foresee  this  plainly,  and,  being 


90  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

a  man  of  nice  invention,  he  had  made  his  disposi- 
tions so  as  to  meet  the  circumstances.  From  a 
large-scale  map,  the  officers  had  learnt  up  the  ways 
of  the  city,  the  turns  of  the  suburbs,  and  the  lay 
of  the  country  beyond,  till  the  curves  of  it  lay  at 
their  fingers'  ends.  The  General  had  shown  pho- 
tographs, had  made  sketches,  had  described  vividly. 
Here  was  a  boulevard  of  palms,  there  a  cable 
tram-line,  there  a  palace  with  a  front  of  pink  and 
grey  stucco  ;  here  lay  the  Fonda  del  Falcone, 
with  a  golden  bird  by  way  of  sign,  at  that  corner 
was  the  Paseo  de  Colon,  leading  from  the  Colum- 
bus Statue  to  the  Great  Plaza,  where  the  obsolete 
artillery  was  parked. 

Fluellen's  orders  were  the  most  delicate.  He 
was  to  raid  a  tram-stables,  take  mule-teams  for 
his  guns,  and  get  out  of  the  city  at  forced  speed 
through  the  poorer  quarter  at  the  back.  He  was 
to  make  his  way  through  a  maze  of  mountain 
roads  to  the  foot  of  a  rocky  spur  called  La  Nuca 
del  Diabolo,  and  then,  as  best  he  might,  he  was 
to  get  his  Maxims  on  to  the  top  of  the  rocks. 

"  Why  they  have  not  fortified  the  place  them- 
selves," said  the  General  in  his  instructions  at  the 
Key,  "  I  do  not  know.  In  view  of  an  event  hap- 
pening such  as  I  hope  to  bring  about  it  is  a  piece 
of  incredible  folly.  One  must  suppose  they  con- 
sidered it  inaccessible  for  any  rapid  occupation. 
But  there  I  do  not  agree  with  them.  I  have  been 
at  the  top  of  this  Devil's  Crag  myself  at  the  cost 


INITIA  BELLI  91 

of  a  stiff  climb,  and  I  know  that  with  plenty  of 
men  I  could  get  three  light  machine  guns  up  in 
three  hours.  I  shall  give  you  credit  for  being 
more  skilful,  Fluellen,  and  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
you  if  you  will  plant  me  there  a  battery  of  four." 

Fluellen  had  with  him  fifty  men.  The  rest, 
with  Coffin  and  Carew  as  divisional  commanders, 
debouched  from  the  central  plaza  in  two  bodies  of 
some  ninety  odd  apiece,  Carew  going  to  the  north- 
ward, Coffin  marching  down  an  avenue  which  car- 
ried the  cable  cars,  and  led  in  a  general  direction 
south-west. 

With  Coffin  went  the  General  and  the  head- 
quarter staff,  which  consisted  mainly  of  Davis 
and  myself ;  and  our  attack  was  to  be  the  signal 
for  the  others  to  begin  playing  their  part.  If 
from  one  reason  or  another  they  failed  to  co- 
operate at  the  right  time,  then  whatever  happened 
to  them  we,  at  any  rate,  were  doomed  to  extinc- 
tion. So  any  way  the  position  was  anxious 
enough. 

Our  way  lay  (as  I  have  said)  down  a  street 
which  carried  the  cable  cars.  At  each  side  there 
were  two  rows  of  feathery  cabbage  palms,  making 
shade  for  the  foot  walks ;  and  beyond  these  were 
gardens  and  lawns  ;  and  beyond  again  villas  of  the 
most  irregular  size  and  tint.  They  were  pink, 
mauve,  brick-red,  and  white,  and  in  the  half  light 
they  gave  one  the  bewildering  idea  of  an  impres- 
sionist picture  done  with  a  palette  knife  and  looked 


92  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

at  close  to.  The  most  of  these  villas  had  their 
windows  close  shuttered,  with  lights  gleaming 
yellow  through  the  crevices ;  some  were  all  dark ; 
a  few,  a  very  few,  were  all  lit  up.  From  one  of 
these  last  some  men  and  a  cluster  of  women  cried 
a  welcome  at  us  and  waved  handkerchiefs  as  we 
tramped  past.  Some  of  the  men  began  to  raise  a 
cheer.  "  Silence  there  in  the  ranks,"  the  General 
ordered  sharply.  "  Mr.  Coffin,  mark  those  men, 
and  punish  them  afterwards." 

From  another  of  the  lit  villas  a  different  kind  of 
salute  was  given  us.  It  came  from  an  old  man, 
white-haired  and  upright,  who  stood  in  the  en- 
trance to  a  patio.  He  cursed  us  as  we  came  up, 
and  then,  lifting  a  revolver,  fired  rapidly  five  shots 
at  the  head  of  the  column.  None  of  us  officers 
were  touched,  but  a  poor  young  Australian  in  the 
first  rank  was  shot  through  the  head.  His  rifle 
pitched  forward  with  a  clatter  on  to  the  tram- 
line, he  after  it  ;  his  comrades  in  the  line  closed 
up  stolidly  and  without  command  ;  and  the  steady 
tramp-tramp  went  on  without  a  whisper  or  a 
check. 

I  glanced  back.  The  old  man  in  the  patio  was 
staring  after  us  in  wonder.  When  he  flaunted  his 
principles  with  that  crazy  piece  of  daring,  he  had 
expected  a  platoon  in  reply,  and  (as  I  afterwards 
heard)  hoped  to  fittingly  close  a  life  of  reckless- 
ness. The  cold  ignoring  of  his  anger  struck  him 
like  a  blow  ;  the  wooden  discipline  of  the  filibuster- 


INITIA  BELLI  93 

ing  troops  awed  him  ;  and  his  allegiance  to  Presi- 
dent Maxillo  dropped  from  that  very  minute. 

At  two  other  points  down  that  avenue  were  we 
fired  upon,  once  from  the  shadow  of  a  side  road, 
once  from  what  appeared  to  be  an  unoccupied 
house.  To  neither  did  we  return  any  notice, 
though  at  the  last  discharge  a  bullet  hummed 
through  Coffin's  pith  helmet,  but  tramped  stolidly 
on  up  a  gentle  gradient ;  and  saw  on  the  down- 
ward side  the  harbour  and  the  business  part  of 
the  town  twinkling  with  lights  and  activity. 

Los  Angeles  was  very  much  alive  to  our  inva- 
sion, and  behind  us  we  could  hear  at  times  brisk 
firing.  Apparently  both  Carew  and  Fluellen  were 
being  attacked,  though  with  what  fortune  we  could 
not  tell.  But  they  had  our  best  wishes  for  success. 
It  meant  nothing  short  of  annihilation  to  us  if  they 
failed  to  gain  their  positions  and  do  the  work 
allotted  to  them  by  the  appointed  time. 

The  moon  fell  when  we  came  to  the  end  of  the 
avenue,  and  the  night  grew  darker.  The  cable- 
line  had  ended  with  a  sweep  ;  the  ground  under- 
foot yielded  a  crop  of  sun-dried  ruts  ;  the  road 
began  to  lead  with  petulant  zigzags  up  a  steep 
mountain  flank.  High  above  us  a  bugle  shrilled 
out  a  call. 

"  That  is  our  point,"  Briggs  said  in  his  cool 
voice.  "  The  fort  up  there  is  the  key  to  the  whole 
position,  and  we  have  got  to  take  it." 

"  Or  die  trying,"  said  Davis. 


94  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  General ;  "  take  the 
place,  my  dear  fellow.  That  is  much  better.  I 
prefer  in  a  vital  case  like  this  to  make  up  my  mind 
for  success.  It  is  much  pleasanter,  and  always 
more  profitable." 

"  By  Jove,  yes,"  said  Coffin.  "  A  man  who 
thinks  he  may  lose  at  a  bluff  game  never  wins. 
There's  only  one  thing  I'm  discontented  about, 
and  that's  this  infernal  marching.  Nature  never 
intended  me  for  a  footpad.  General,  dear,  as  a 
man  who  knows  the  district,  couldn't  you  recom- 
mend me  to  a  convenient  spot  where  I  could  lift 
a  piece  of  horse-flesh  ?  " 

"  Cavalry  can't  storm  forts,"  said  the  General. 
"  But  when  we  have  got  that  duty  off  our  hands, 
I'll  mount  you,  next  thing.  Whew  !  listen  to  that." 

"  Fluellen  is  getting  it,"  said  I.  "  There's  hot 
firing  going  on  in  his  direction." 

"  Fluellen  is  giving  it,  I  fancy,"  returned  the 
General  drily.  "  He  has  got  two  of  his  guns  in 
action,  and — ah  !  There  is  '  cease  fire  both.'  He's 
cleared  the  coast  behind  him,  and  on  he  goes 
again.  What  time  is  it  ?  Four  o'clock.  He's 
running  it  very  close.  He  ought  to  be  at  the  foot 
of  that  Devil's  Crag  by  now,  and  he's  a  mile  from 
there  still,  but  if  he  isn't  stopped  again  he'll  do  it 
yet." 

All  this  time  we  had  been  marching  between 
heavy  walls  of  timber,  the  trees  so  matted  with 
linas  and  undergrowth  that  without  a  machete  a 


INITIA  BELLI  95 

man  could  not  have  struggled  a  mile  in  a  day. 
The  foliage  on  the  lower  parts  of  the  hill  masked 
us  effectually  from  any  watching  eye  in  the  fort 
above  ;  but  as  it  grew  in  height,  so  it  thinned  ; 
till  the  crest,  which  was  shaped  curiously  like  the 
cranium  of  a  man,  lay  completely  bald,  save  for  a 
downy  growth  of  tussock  grass.  Out  here,  on 
the  middle  of  the  forehead  (so  to  speak)  the  fort 
squatted  like  some  uncouth  beetle ;  and  at  the 
back,  a  mile  away,  the  Devil's  Crag  loomed  up 
black  against  the  night  sky. 

It  was  not  our  object  to  be  viewed  too  soon. 
The  stronghold  was  a  place  of  prodigious  strength, 
and  only  by  a  sudden  attack  on  the  weakest  and 
most  unexpected  point  could  we  hope  to  carry  it 
by  storm.  So  when  the  cover  thinned,  we  left  the 
main  road  and  turned  off  down  a  narrow  trail 
which  led  along  the  edge  of  the  tonsure. 

The  attack  was  arranged  for  the  break  of  day. 
Fluellen  with  his  guns  on  La  Nuca  del  Diabolo 
was  to  open  the  ball  by  a  furious  fire  from  above 
into  the  heart  of  the  fort.  Under  the  cover  of 
this,  Carew  was  to  break  ambush  and  storm  the 
angle  of  the  back  which  lay  nearest  him,  whilst 
simultaneously  with  him  Coffin  was  to  escalade 
the  opposite  corner. 

There  had  been  a  little  margin  allowed  for  delay 
on  the  road,  though  not  much.  In  our  case,  having 
been  hindered  by  nothing  at  all,  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  spot  half  an  hour  too  soon,  But  the  delay 


96  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

was  not  without  its  advantages.  The  march  had 
been  at  a  brisk  pace,  and  much  of  the  ground  was 
rugged  and  steep.  Many  of  the  men  were  blown 
and  leg-weary.  So  we  advanced  cautiously  to  the 
edge  of  the  fringe  of  cover,  and  there  lay  down 
silently  on  our  arms  to  rest  and  bide  the  time. 

The  men  were  very  willing  in  their  effort  at 
keeping  the  silence,  but  absolute  noiselessness  was 
beyond  their  power.  All  around  me  I  could  hear 
the  rustle  of  breathing,  and  the  faint  creak  of 
moving  limbs.  There  were  besides  the  hums  of 
mosquitos,  the  swishings  of  jar-flies,  the  chatter  of 
katydids,  and  the  other  night  sounds  of  the  forest ; 
so  that  it  was  not  easy  to  pick  up  smaller  sounds. 
I  could  make  out  the  movement  of  brisk  life  in 
the  fort,  but  not  so  much  as  a  whisper  told  of 
Carew's  advance,  and  from  the  towering  Devil's 
Crag  came  the  silence  of  a  monument. 

So  we  lay  when  the  higher  clouds  in  the  east  be- 
gan to  redden  in  prophesy  of  the  dawn,  and  then 
an  alarming  thing  happened.  From  out  of  the 
earth,  so  it  seemed,  in  our  midst  there  suddenly 
rose  a  man,  mother-naked ;  who  ran  in  zigzags 
amongst  the  resting  troops,  and  stabbed  with  a 
long  lean  knife  at  any  hand  which  made  a  clutch 
for  him. 

Someone  he  had  wounded  drew  and  levelled  a 
revolver. 

"  Any  man  who  fires,"  said  the  General,  in  his 
quiet,  carrying  voice,  "  I  will  shoot  with  my  own 


INITIA  BELLI  97 

hands.     Pluck  the  legs  from  under  him ;  give  him 
the  steel." 

The  Indian  dodged  like  a  football  player ;  his 
limbs  were  greased  ;  he  was  with  us  one  instant,  the 
next  he  was  through  our  line  and  racing  for  the  fort. 

The  General  looked  at  his  watch.  Then  he 
stood  up  and  drew  his  sword.  "  When  that  fellow 
gets  in  with  his  news  they  will  slew  guns  over 
here  and  start  shelling  us  at  once.  Fluellen  and 
Carew  certainly  are  not  up  ;  but  I  do  not  see  that 
we  have  any  choice  left  us  other  than  to  attack  at 
once.  I  shall  have  the  honour,  gentlemen,  of  lead- 
ing you  myself,  and  I  shall  be  very  much  disap- 
pointed if  we  are  not  inside  that  fort  within  ten 
minutes.  It  is  the  key  to  Los  Angeles,  and  with 
Los  Angeles  we  can  unlock  Sacaronduca." 

"  Fall  in  there,"  said  Coffin.  "  Now,  boys,  the 
fewer  there  are  to  share  the  more  there  is  to  get. 
Come  along,  now." 

The  men  had  heaved  themselves  on  to  their  feet 
and  edged  up  into  line.  They  yelled  out  a  cheer, 
and  then  came  a  groan  or  two  and  one  vivid  shriek. 
The  fort  had  seen  us,  and  a  hundred  men  with 
rifles  resting  on  the  wall  had  already  opened  fire. 

The  General  sprang  out  for  the  foot  of  the  con- 
crete walls  a  dozen  paces  ahead  of  any  of  us ;  we 
others  followed  at  the  run,  and  I  owned  that  it 
seemed  to  me  impossible  that  one  man  of  the  whole 
lot  could  by  any  chance  be  alive  ten  minutes  later 
on. 
7 


CHAPTER   VIII 

FREE    WOMEN 

NOW,  to  explain  matters  which  had  a  great  in- 
fluence with  our  efforts  upon  Sacaronduca,  it  is 
needful  at  this  point  to  put  in  a  plainer  account  of 
some  relationships  which  so  far  have  been  only 
touched  upon  very  lightly. 

Humanly  speaking,  the  whole  of  the  events  re- 
counted in  this  book  owe  their  start  to  one  young 
lady  having  unusual  liberty  of  action  granted  to 
her  at  an  extremely  youthful  age.  Her  father 
was  a  Sacaronducan,  who  made  money  in  the 
country  out  of  gem  and  gold  mines,  and  was 
shrewd  enough  to  store  it  elsewhere.  Her  mother 
was  a  lady  of  Co.  Fermanagh,  educated  in  Paris, 
and  so  pinned  down  by  rule  during  the  days  of 
youth  that  life  was  made  a  torment  to  her.  The 
pair  of  them  lived  a  married  life  that  was  not  al- 
together idyllic,  nor  completely  miserable,  nor  at 
all  ordinary ;  pleasantly  varied,  in  fact ;  and  all 
were  sorry  when  it  came  to  an  end.  Monsieur  le 
pere  died  first — of  a  rifle  shot  in  one  of  the  peri- 
odical revolutions.  Madame  inherited  all  his 

enormous  wealth,  on  the  one  condition  of  residing 
98 


FREE  WOMEN  99 

in  Sacaronduca,  a  country  she  loathed.  During 
the  next  six  years  she  bewailed  this  tie  without 
ceasing  ;  and,  regarding  the  matter  in  the  abstract, 
expended  a  very  pretty  talent  in  invective  solely 
on  the  subject  of  human  restrictions  in  the  bulk  ; 
after  which  time  she  joined  her  husband,  and  left 
a  most  consistent  will.  Delie  Alicia,  the  only 
daughter,  was  to  inherit  without  stint ;  and  though 
law  insisted  that  the  property  should  be  held 
primarily  by  trustees,  Madame  so  contrived  that 
these  should  be  the  merest  figureheads. 

There  are  beyond  doubt  a  vast  legion  of  other 
young  ladies  of  fifteen  who  would  consider  it  the 
ultimate  earthly  bliss  to  find  themselves  supreme 
mistress  of  an  income  of  ^"80,000  per  annum,  de- 
rived from  sound  investments  ;  and  it  is  a  very 
probable  thing  that  were  they  to  have  their  wish 
and  put  a  little  enterprise  into  the  handling  of  it, 
the  great  majority  of  them  would  come  to  the 
worst  kind  of  grief.  But  Miss  Delicia's  previous 
education  had  been  peculiar.  She  had  a  very 
shrewd  notion  of  taking  care  of  herself ;  so  that, 
although  the  track  of  her  progress  was  usually 
marked  with  a  series  of  moral  earthquakes,  minor 
and  great,  she,  Delicia,  always  kept  upon  her  feet. 

There  is  no  place  here  for  Miss  Delicia's  earlier 
escapades  in  full ;  besides,  another  man  is  writing 
them  in  another  place.  One  alone  of  her  thou- 
sand freaks  demands  mention,  and  that  is  her  in- 
vasion  of  Ireland. 


ioo  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

She  descended  upon  that  country  of  her  mother 
in  a  whirlwind  of  liveliness  and  Parisian  clothes, 
and  she  took  Dublin  and  Ulster  by  storm.  She 
eclipsed  all  the  other  women,  but  even  they  loved 
her,  which  is  certainly  the  most  generous  certifi- 
cate which  could  be  given  to  anyone.  They 
seemed  to  take  it  quite  as  the  right  thing  that  all 
their  men-kind  should  propose  to  Delicia  if  they 
were  clever  enough  to  get  her  for  three  consecutive 
minutes  "  en  tete-a-t£te." 

She  proved  herself  handy  in  many  ways.  She 
drove  a  tandem  of  two  Arab  polo  ponies  unbroken 
to  harness  in  the  front  of  a  car,  and  kept  out  of 
many  tempting  wayside  ditches.  She  steered  a 
notably  unlucky  cutter  in  a  race  on  Lough  Erne, 
during  a  stiff  blow,  and  got  an  easy  win.  She  was 
certainly  the  best  waltzer  in  the  North  of  Ireland, 
knew  several  fresh  figures  for  the  cotillon,  and 
when  put  to  the  test  showed  that  she  could  handle 
a  very  useful  gun  at  cock-shooting.  And  when 
she  climaxed  all  these  accomplishments  by  avow- 
ing a  passion  for  bricks  and  mortar  it  will  be  un- 
derstood why  the  good  folks  of  that  impulsive 
clime  found  her  completely  irresistible. 

Finally,  after  two  months  of  the  most  tooth- 
some amusement,  she  went  away,  as  suddenly  as 
she  had  come,  and  this  time  the  whirlwind  was 
made  up  of  warm-hearted  Irish  regrets.  She  had 
(as  has  been  hinted)  many  volunteers  who  wished 
to  escort  her  further,  but  they  were  of  the  male 


FREE  WOMEN  101 

sex,  and  as  she  said  she  could  not  marry  all,  and 
did  not  wish  to  be  specially  slighting  to  any,  she 
suddenly  flitted  away  to  London,  which  lies  mor- 
ally further  from  Fermanagh  than  New  York 
does.  She  took  only  one  extra  person  in  her  train, 
and  that  was  a  certain  Miss  Julia  Armitage. 

Now,  Miss  Armitage  was  a  little  lady  of  spright- 
liness,  whose  parent,  a  retired  Colonel  in  the  Brit- 
ish service,  had  pinned  himself  down  for  life  by 
commencing  to  rebuild  the  family  castle  on  a 
scale  of  generous  magnificence.  He  got  the  pull- 
ing down  done  very  nicely  and  effectually,  but 
when  the  new  building  began  to  rise  above  the 
cellars  of  the  old  he  started  to  discover  that  the 
amusement  was  costing  money.  So  when  one  half 
was  completed  he  filled  in  the  loose  end  with 
weather-boards,  sent  the  masons  away,  and  turned 
their  sheds  into  stables  for  his  hunters  and  polo 
ponies,  and  brought  up  his  family  in  this  half- 
house  on  potatoes  and  pomp. 

"  It  is  no  doubt  amusing  for  a  while,"  Miss 
Armitage  said  to  Delicia,  "  to  live  on  a  tesselated 
pavement  of  price,  under  a  ceiling  brought  from 
Italy,  and  between  walls  where  the  bricks  have 
never  had  their  blushes  hid  by  plaster.  There's 
variety  in  it,  and  there's  always  the  fun  of  specu- 
lating on  what  a  fine  place  you  might  make  of  it  if 
the  family  could  only  pay  off  a  few  of  its  last  ten 
years'  debts  and  get  a  little  ready  cash  for  improve, 
ments." 


102  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  I'd  like  it  myself  for  awhile,"  said  Delicia. 

"  For  a  very  little  while,  perhaps  you  might. 
You're  great  at  plotting  and  planning.  But  you 
like  to  think  of  a  thing  one  minute  and  have  it 
done  the  next,  and  that's  what  we  can't  do  at  our 
place.  There's  no  money.  There  never  is  any 
money.  The  other  day  one  of  my  dearest  friends 
wanted  me  to  be  a  bridesmaid  at  her  wedding,  and 
I  had  to  refuse  because  the  dresses  were  light  blue 
serge  and  that  wouldn't  make  an  evening  frock 
afterwards,  and  I  couldn't  afford  two  for  the  year. 
It  was  sickening.  I've  never  been  a  bridesmaid 
yet." 

"  Then,"  said  Delicia,  "  come  along  with  me  and 
be  one  of  mine." 

"  But  you  aren't  engaged  yet  ?  Or — oh,  I  say ! 
Have  you  accepted  one  of  the  boys  round  here  ? 
And  never  told  me.  Ah, I'll  never  forgive  you  now." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Delicia.  "  They're  all 
extremely  nice,  as  I've  told  each  of  them  ;  but  I'm 
afraid  that  none  of  them  individually  would  quite 
do  to  marry.  Still  the  right  man's  got  to  be  found 
somewhere,  because  I've  quite  made  up  my  mind 
to  have  a  husband  before  I'm  twenty." 

"  And  you're  nineteen  now." 

"That  is  so,"  said  Delicia,  "and  I'm  tired  of 
having  even  the  most  harmless  of  duennas  dangling 
at  my  heels.  I'm  going  to  indulge  in  a  nice  con- 
venient hubby,  and  be  my  own  chaperone,  and  do 
precisely  as  I  like." 


FREE  WOMEN  103 

"  If  you  ask  me,  you  seem  to  do  that  very  toler- 
ably now." 

"  Hum,"  said  Delicia.  "  There  are  different 
ways  of  looking  at  the  same  thing.  Still,  as  I've 
said  I'm  going  to  try  the  husband  attachment,  you 
may  be  sure  I  shall  do  it ;  so  you'd  better  come 
and  watch  the  process,  and  then  you'll  be  able  to 
act  as  bridesmaid  at  a  moment's  notice.  When's 
there  a  train  ?  Let's  go  now." 

Miss  Armitage  got  very  red.  "  I  can't,"  she 
said.  "  I  mean,  Delicia,  dear,  I'd  rather  not." 

"  Now,  my  sweet  child,"  returned  Delicia,  "  look 
here.  I  know  exactly  what  you're  thinking  of. 
You're  trading  on  that  terrible  pride  of  yours,  the 
fine  old  family  pride  which  built  this  half  house 
and  made  all  your  lives  a  burden  to  you.  Put  it 
in  your  pocket.  The  stuff's  not  a  bit  of  use.  Just 
come  along  with  me  and  help  yourself  out  of  my 
cheque  book  when  you  want  to." 

"  But,  Delicia " 

"  Now  do  be  quiet.  I'd  do  the  same  by  you  if 
things  were  the  other  way  on.  I  haven't  a  scrap 
of  pride  to  my  possession.  It's  a  useless  com- 
modity which  you  can  make  nothing  out  of  and 
which  only  gets  in  the  way.  You  have  heaps 
more  fun  without  it,  and  can  do  lots  more  things 
which  you  want  to  do." 

"  You're  a  darling,  of  course,  and  it's  immensely 
good  of  you,  and  I'd  like  to  come  awfully,  and  I 
don't  think  I'd  really  be  so  very  extravagant,  even 


104  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

if  you  did  give  me  the  freest  chance.  But,  Delicia, 
there'-s — don't  you  know — there's  someone  else 
I've  got  to  think  about." 

"  And  pray  who's  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  Delicia,  how  silly  you  are.  Of  course  I 
shall  have  to  ask  Charlie." 

"  What,  that  Mr.  Fluellen,  the  serious-looking 
person  in  the  six  photographs  ?  " 

"  Delicia,  don't ;  I'm  engaged  to  him,  dear." 

"  Of  course  you  are,  and  that's  the  very  reason 
you  should  do  what  you  want  to  first  and  ask  him 
about  it  afterwards.  I  never  saw  such  a  girl.  You 
always  make  a  point  of  having  your  own  way  here, 
and  I'm  sure  you're  not  likely  to  care  for  a  change 
afterwards." 

"  But  I  couldn't " 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  could — anything.  But  I'll  tell 
you  what.  We'll  compromise  this  matter ;  we'll 
step  across  to  London  first,  and  there  the  man  can 
call  upon  us.  Then  we'll  go  on/l^ 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  Haven't  the  faintest  idea.  I  never  cramp 
myself  by  making  an  armful  of  plans  on  ahead. 
Besides,  it's  good  practice  to  often  make  up  your 
mind  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  Now,  as  I've 
said,  I've  decided  upon  going  off  and  taking  you 
with  me,  and  you'd  better  come  peaceably,  because 
I'm  quite  equal  to  kidnapping  you  if  you  won't. 
Run  away  now  and  write  out  a  long  telegram  to 
the  Fluellen  man — messages  over  thirty  words 


FREE  WOMEN  105 

always  tickle  people  favourably — and  I'll  go  down- 
stairs and  find  some  nice  boy  who  will  rummage 
the  time-table  for  me." 

In  twenty-four  hours  after  this  they  were  in 
London,  and  forty-eight  hours  later  saw  them 
settled  down  in  Paris.  Fluellen  had  not  called; 
had  not  been  able  to  call,  so  he  said,  being  de- 
tained by  regimental  duties;  but  instead  had 
written  a  letter  which  was,  perhaps,  a  little  stiff, 
and  was  certainly  injudicious. 

"You  let  him  write  to  you  like  this?"  said 
Delicia,  in  high  scorn,  when  the  sheet  was  handed 
her  to  read.  "  My  word  !  I'd  marry  that  man 
to-morrow  if  I  was  engaged  to  him,  and  soon  let 
him  see  who  was  going  to  do  all  the  ordering." 

"  You  couldn't,"  said  Miss  Armitage,  bridling 
up.  "  His  aunt's  just  dead.  That's  what's  been 
stopping  us." 

"  Why,  bless  me,  that's  no  reason.  You  can't 
bring  the  poor  woman  to  life  again,  or  do  her  any 
good  by  remaining  single." 

"  But,  Delicia,  one  must  observe  the  conven- 
tionalities a  little." 

"  Some  of  them  certainly,  but  when  they  are 
gratuitously  foolish,  I  don't  see  why.  Eh? 
Hullo,  I  didn't  know  it  was  as  late  as  all  this. 
Now  you  must  get  your  shoes  and  some  outdoor 
things  put  on  within  eight  minutes  or  we  shall 
miss  the  Club  train,  and  that's  a  thing  I  wouldn't 
do  for  a  diamond  bracelet." 


io6  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  But,  Delicia,  your  maid  can't  pack  for  the  pair 
of  us  in  that  time." 

"Who  thought  of  packing?  Can't  we  buy  a 
fresh  set  of  everything  in  Paris  ?  My  dear  child, 
you  must  get  rid  of  these  stay-at-home  old- 
fashioned  notions." 

It  was  in  this  manner,  then,  that  Miss  Julia 
Armitage  was  launched  into  an  entirely  new  phase 
of  life  under  Delicia's  auspices;  and  very  good 
she  found  it ;  and  very  much  she  altered  under 
the  treatment,  as  was  to  be  expected.  Being  an 
Irish  girl  and  brimming  with  vitality,  she  picked 
up  the  new  openings  readily  enough.  She  was  a 
very  accurate  understudy  of  Delicia  in  two  months' 
time,  and  enjoyed  the  change  to  its  full.  Fluellen 
did  not,  which  is  perhaps  no  matter  for  surprise ; 
but  he  said  so  bluntly,  and  from  a  distance,  which 
was  about  as  big  an  error  as  he  could  conveniently 
have  made.  Miss  Julia  Armitage  began  (most 
selfishly)  to  tell  herself  that  "  Charlie,  dear,"  was 
selfish. 

At  last  she  put  the  matter  in  words.  "  It  is 
hard,"  she  wrote,  "  that  you  should  begrudge  me 
this  one  piece  of  enjoyment.  I've  been  penned 
up  in  one  semi-savage  village  all  my  life,  with 
two  inferior  dances  per  annum,  and  horse-flesh 
and  gunpowder  for  the  entire  scope  of  conversa- 
tion. Now  that  I  am  in  a  way  to  learn  that  there 
are  other  ideas  in  the  world  besides  these  you 
write  stiffly  to  me.  I  don't  think  it  is  kind  of 


FREE  WOMEN  107) 

you.  Surely  there  is  no  harm  in  my  becoming 
a  woman  of  the  world." 

Fluellen  thought  there  was,  though  he  did  not 
say  so  in  plain  words.  In  the  first  instance  he  had 
fallen  in  love  with  this  little  ignorant  Irish  girl  for 
her  freshness  and  innocence  of  the  wiles  and  un- 
cleanness  of  the  more  fashionable  world.  She  was 
just  a  lady,  no  more  and  no  less,  and  that  was  all 
he  required  of  her.  But  now  that  she  threatened 
to  develop  into  something  very  much  more  sophis- 
ticated and  different  he  still  did  not  wish  to  lose 
her.  He  had  been  inoculated  with  a  love  for  her 
which  had  gone  into  every  corner  of  his  system, 
and  which  there  was  no  getting  rid  of.  He 
wearied  for  the  sound  of  her  voice.  So  he  tem- 
porised, and  said  in  his  letters  as  little  as  possible. 

"  What  a  very  dull  person  that  young  man  of 
yours  must  be,"  Delicia  said  at  intervals ;  and  the 
other  girl,  from  hearing  the  statement  so  often, 
began  to  think  there  must  be  a  grain  or  so  of 
truth  in  it.  In  this  way  was  she  prepared  for  the 
coming  of  Juan  Carmoy. 

Don  Juan  by  birth  was  a  Mallorquin,  the  son  of 
a  noble  family  in  Palma,  and  a  grandee  of  profound 
descent.  His  immediate  ancestors  had  (following 
the  custom  of  their  era)  gambled  most  profusely 
and  recruited  their  means  in  the  time-honoured 
way.  Consequently  when  young  Juan  came  upon 
the  scene  the  estate  near  Valledemosa  and  the 
gloomy  old  palazzo  in  Palma  were  all  more  or  less 


io8  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

securely  in  the  grip  of  the  chulta,  which  is  the 
local  equivalent  for  Jew. 

Now,  Don  Juan  with  cleverness  put  this  all 
forward  first,  and  because  there  was  something 
extremely  homelike  and  Irish  about  the  whole 
proceeding  Miss  Julia  took  a  liking  for  the  man 
at  once.  This  liking  remained  even  when  she 
learned  that  he  had  been  a  traitor  to  his  traditions 
and  hers. 

It  seemed  that  he  had  soon  tired  of  "  res  an- 
gustae  domi,"  and  had  set  off  Pizarro-fashion 
across  the  seas  to  a  land  where  rumour  said  there 
were  other  fine  estates  for  the  man  who  was  man 
enough  to  grab  them ;  and  having  plenty  of  en- 
terprise, abundance  of  appetite,  and  no  nice  scru- 
pulousness at  all,  had  carved  himself  out  of  the 
Republic  of  Sacaronduca  as  fine  and  valuable  a 
property  as  any  gentleman  might  wish  for.  It  is 
true  that  in  the  carving  a  number  of  other  people 
were  shredded  up  exceedingly  small.  It  is  true 
also  that  in  the  cities  of  Dolores  and  Los  An- 
geles many  honest  gentlemen  considered  that 
the  Mallorquin  nobleman  showed  the  business 
morality  of  a  sixteenth-century  pirate.  But  then 
Central  America  is  a  long  way  off  the  continent 
of  Europe,  and  further  still  from  the  island  of 
Majorca,  and  Don  Juan's  reputation  was  filtered 
down  to  a  mere  romanticism  by  the  time  it 
reached  Palma. 

It  is  true  that  Delicia  knew  him  domestically, 


FREE  WOMEN  109 

and  advertised  his  peculiarities  most  impartially. 
She  said  :  "  My  dear  Don  Juan  is  an  out-and-out 
Sacaronducan.  He's  adapted  himself  most  thor- 
oughly to  the  requirements  of  the  country.  That 
is,  he's  as  big  a  thief  as  any  man  can  be  without 
getting  hanged.  But  he's  the  most  gentlemanly 
kind  of  brigand  imaginable,  and,  moreover,  he's 
very  successful  at  his  trade." 

"  His  trade  ?  "  said  Miss  Armitage,  doubtfully. 
"  Has  he  a  business  ?  Does  he  make  some- 
thing?" 

"  There  you  go  again  !  Oh,  this  fine  old  crusted 
Irish  pride  !  What  does  it  matter  if  the  man  sells 
lottery  tickets ;  what  does  it  matter  if  he  makes 
soap,  so  long  as  he  is  successful  at  it  ?  You  don't 
see  that  ?  You  think  a  soldier,  whose  pay  isn't 
even  big  enough  to  square  his  mess  bill,  far  more 
desirable  as  a  husband." 

"  It  appears  so,"  said  Miss  Armitage. 

"  Now  I've  not  that  humdrum  sort  of  taste.  I 
can  fancy  I  shall  get  tired  of  dancing  and  gadding 
about,  and  those  sort  of  things,  some  day,  and  I 
shall  take  up  another  set  of  interests.  I  shall 
want  to  be  something  big.  And  being  tied  up 
to  a  man  who  was  content  with  commanding  a 
troop  in  a  lancer  regiment  wouldn't  help  me  to 
that.  I  should  either  want  a  nobody  or  a  some- 
body." 

"  But  I'm  not  you,"  Miss  Armitage  objected. 

"  My  dear  child,"  said  Delicia  drily,  "  you  are 


no  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

not.  That  is  why  I  strongly  advise  you  to  marry 
Juan,  who  is  emphatically  a  somebody.  He  is 
distinctly  taken  up  with  you,  probably  because 
you  are  nothing  like  anything  he  has  ever  come 
across  before ;  and  so  you  can  do  it  if  you  like. 
His  '  trade '  which  you  so  object  to  is  one  which 
kings  dabble  in,  so  that  it  does  not  lack  respect- 
ability. An  American  would  describe  him  as  an 
operator  in  real  estate  ;  we  in  Sacaronduca  speak 
of  him  as  a  mine-grabber ;  and  a  monarch  em- 
ployed on  the  same  occupation  would  describe 
the  process  as  annexation.  We  will  speak  of  it 
as  a  profession  if  that  pleases  you  better." 

"  Ah,"  said  Miss  Armitage,  "  of  course,  all  this 
is  very  interesting,  but  it  can't  be  of  use  to  me, 
because  I  am  still  engaged  to  Charlie." 

"  You  will  also  observe,"  continued  her  friend, 
"that  Don  Juan  is  a  man  of  excellent  family, 
better,  if  anything,  than  your  own,  and  that  is  an 
obsolete  thing  which  I  know  you  Irish  people  set 
a  lot  of/  store  by.  His  ancestors  came  over  from 
Arragon  with  King  Jaime  the  Conqueror,  select- 
ing the  slice  of  Majorca  which  pleased  them,  and 
took  possession  by  torturing  to  death  all  the 
Moors  they  found  on  the  premises.  A  marquisate 
was  the  natural  reward,  and  as  it  has  been  kept 
going  ever  since,  the  present  family  can  trace  .a 
distinguished  connection  with  almost  every  piece 
of  brilliant  knavery  which  has  taken  place  between 
1400  and  now," 


FREE  WOMEN  in 

"  Delicia,"  said  the  other,  "  you  are  laughing  at 
me." 

"  Have  you  found  that  out  ?  Then,  my  dear 
child,  let  me  advise  you  to  take  care.  I  am  al- 
ways most  dangerous  when  I'm  laughing." 

Now  precisely  how  it  came  about  I  do  not 
know ;  and  no  one  who  can  do  so  with  accuracy 
seems  inclined  to  tell  me  ;  but  it  is  a  certain  fact 
that  one  month  after  this  talk  took  place  these 
two  girls  were  married  women  on  their  way  out 
to  Sacaronduca.  There  are  many  yarns  straying 
about  as  to  why  and  wherefore,  but  I  see  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  they  are  one  and  all  of  them 
guesswork,  and  therefore  quite  unworthy  of  repe- 
tition. There  is  a  mystery  hanging  over  the 
whole  affair,  and  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  it  must 
remain  there.  Perhaps  the  other  man  who  is 
writing  the  separate  book  upon  Miss  Delicia's  life 
may  be  authorised  to  raise  it. 

One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  as  may  be  seen 
from  official  records  in  Paris.  The  little  lady 
from  Ireland  assisted  (as  per  agreement)  in  Deli- 
cia's wedding,  and  then  figured  in  her  own  with 
Don  Juan  Carmoy. 

Delicia  of  course  achieved  the  unexpected. 
Everyone  took  it  for  granted  that  her  husband 
would  be  some  heroic  being  of  the  heroic  order. 
Indeed,  several  men  who  were  (or  fancied  them- 
selves to  be)  in  this  category  offered  themselves 
as  aspirants  for  the  vacant  post.  Not  a  bit  of  it ; 


H2  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

she  would  have  none  of  them.  She  picked  out  a 
little,  delicate,  dainty-voiced  Italian,  whose  one 
marked  trait  was  that  he  carried  his  cigarette 
tobacco  in  a  Louis  Quatorze  snuff-box.  He  had 
not  another  feature  to  distinguish  him  from  the 
general  herd,  or  money,  or  position,  or  anything 
except  the  manners  of  a  gentleman.  And  she 
married  him,  departing  the  same  day  for  Saca- 
ronduca  with  the  Carmoys,  and  leaving  that  part 
of  Europe  and  Great  Britain  which  knew  her  in  a 
very  curious  twitter  of  surprise. 

When  they  heard  that  her  husband  had  died  of 
sunstroke  on  the  voyage  out  they  wondered  what 
Delicia  would  do  next.  There  were  not  wanting 
cynics  who  said  that  it  was  a  merciful  release — 
for  him. 


CHAPTER  IX 

OCCUPATION   OF   THE   ANGELS 

A  VERY  pestilence  of  bullets  swept  against  us 
as  we  left  the  cover  of  the  trees  and  dashed  across 
the  bare  strip,  and  every  moment  the  line  of  heads 
above  the  white  parapet  of  the  fort  grew  blacker 
with  numbers.  Our  men  were  falling  with  fearful 
rapidity,  but  their  discipline  held.  They  kept  to 
their  line,  neither  spurting  forward  nor  lingering 
behind  ;  and  because  the  order  had  not  been  given, 
they  fired  no  single  shot.  A  set  of  iron  targets 
could  not  have  endured  that  terrible  punishment 
more  stoically. 

We  reached  a  point  thirty  yards  from  the  walls, 
and  a  bugle  rang  out  a  lusty  call.  One  half  of  our 
little  force  stopped  instantly,  dropping  behind  any 
boulder  or  clump  of  grass  which  would  offer  a  ves- 
tige of  shelter,  and  offering  a  smart  fire  with  their 
repeating  rifles  to  cover  the  attack  of  the  rest.  It 
was  the  fusilade  of  practical  marksmen,  and  as 
coolly  delivered  as  if  they  had  been  firing  at  the 
range  on  the  White  Tortuga  Key.  It  did  heavy 
execution,  but  there  was  such  an  abundance  of 
men  in  the  fort  that  as  fast  as  one  fell  another  was 

ready  to  stop  up  the  gap. 

8  113 


ii4  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

By  this  time  we  had  come  to  a  very  fit  mind  for 
the  work.  We  had  ceased  to  be  men  having  human 
fears ;  the  thought  of  death  or  maiming  had  gone 
from  us ;  the  lust  of  the  battle  had  filled  us  like 
long  draughts  of  spirit.  We  bit  our  teeth,  and 
thought  of  nothing  but  getting  at  handgrips. 

We  reached  the  foot  of  the  white  concrete  wall, 
and  stood  in  a  ditch  sown  with  empty  tins  and 
crockery.  For  an  instant  we  found  a  lee  out  of 
the  pelting ;  but  for  an  instant  only.  The  next 
the  soldiers  were  craning  over  the  parapet  and 
shooting  down  on  us. 

I  cannot  speak  of  what  happened  collectively 
after  this.  It  was  a  time  for  individual  striving. 
I  only  know  what  occurred  to  myself.  From  out 
of  the  blinding,  stinking  smoke  one  of  the  de- 
fenders fell  down  between  me  and  the  wall, 
striking  my  arm  as  he  fell.  I  gripped  one  of  our 
fellows,  drew  him  to  me,  and  made  him  stand  on 
the  corpse.  Then  I  clambered  on  to  his  shoul- 
ders, and  stood  for  a  second  panting  and  blindly 
nuzzling  the  wall.  The  sweat  and  the  smoke 
poured  in  my  eyes,  and  I  could  not  see  a  thing, 
but  sweeping  about  with  my  fingers  found  a  crack 
in  the  masonry. 

Somebody  from  above  made  a  stab  at  me  with 
a  bayonet.  My  spare  hand  closed  on  it ;  I  gave 
a  spring  from  below,  and  next  instant  was  on  the 
ridge  of  the  wall.  The  man  with  the  bayonet 
wrenched  it  from  my  grasp  and  drew  it  back 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS     115 

to  stab.  At  the  same  moment  some  one  behind 
raised  a  rifle  and  fired,  and  the  man  fell  with  half 
his  head  blown  away. 

Remembering  the  thing  afterwards,  I  concluded 
that  that  shot  was  intended  for  me ;  but  at  the  time 
I  did  not  stop  to  think  ;  was  not  even  thankful  for 
the  let-off ;  but  picking  up  a  rifle  from  the  ground, 
raged  with  the  butt  against  every  man  I  could  see. 
Indeed,  there  was  no  lack  of  them.  They  ringed 
me  round  in  a  fence  of  weapons  and  savage  faces 
with  teeth  gleaming  like  dogs,  and  had  not  relief 
come  they  must  surely  have  got  me  down  in 
another  few  seconds. 

But  first  another  of  our  men  clambered  up,  and 
fired  a  revolver  from  so  close  behind  that  the 
grains  of  powder  stung  my  neck ;  and  then  from 
through  the  smoke  the  General  came  with  a  dozen 
others ;  and  then  from  the  other  side  of  the 
fort  there  came  a  diversion  of  another  kind. 
Carew's  men  had  turned  up  just  in  the  nick  of 
time. 

We  knew  of  it  first  by  a  rattle  of  startled  yells, 
then  by  some  unmistakably  British  shouts  (which, 
if  the  truth  be  known,  were  mainly  curses),  and 
then  by  some  bugle  calls  and  a  thinning  of  the 
soldiers  who  were  trying  to  drive  us  back  over 
the  walls.  The  fight  eddied,  and  staggered,  and 
dwindled  like  a  snowball  which  is  set  on  a  warm 
hob.  The  Spaniards  began  to  throw  away  their 
weapons  and  run  for  the  barracks  in  the  middle  of 


ii6  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  fort.  Our  men  killed  a  little  more  to  appease 
the  "  manes  "  of  their  comrades :  "  Here's  an  end 
to  you  to  square  up  for  poor  old  Frank,"  one  would 
say,  and  "To  hell  you  go,  my  son,"  another 
would  shout,  "  because  you  sent  my  best  chum 
there  ten  minutes  back;"  but  considering  the 
place  had  been  carried  by  storm,  there  were  no 
glowing  atrocities  in  the  sack.  The  men  soon 
calmed  down,  what  few  there  were  left  of  them, 
and  stood  ready  to  do  the  General's  bidding. 
There  was  much  to  be  gone  through  before  he  got 
his  hand  over  all  Los  Angeles. 

Orders  followed  on  the  heels  of  one  another 
with  quick  despatch.  First,  nine  men  were  sent 
to  summon  the  other  nine  forts  to  surrender,  each 
of  them  being  accompanied  by  a  comrade  who 
carried  a  white  flag.  Next,  we  set  about  gaoling 
the  prisoners,  disarming  them  thoroughly,  and 
stowing  them  in  a  long,  narrow  cellar.  At  the 
entrance  of  this  a  couple  of  Nordenfeldts  were 
run  up,  so  as  to  rake  the  whole,  if  necessary,  and, 
as  only  two  men  could  be  spared  as  sentries,  the 
prisoners  were  given  clearly  to  understand  that 
at  the  least  sign  of  trouble,  they  would  be 
annihilated.  And  then  gun  crews  were  appor- 
tioned off  to  the  big  Krupp  cannon  with  which 
the  fort  was  armed,  with  ammunition  carriers  to 
supply  them. 

We  officers  saw  to  these  duties,  and  then 
gathered  round  the  General,  who  had  stationed 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS    117 

himself  at  the  foot  of  the  flagstaff  in  the  centre 
of  the  fort.  Carew  had  a  red  bandage  round 
his  left  arm,  and  carried  it  in  a  sling  made  from 
his  sash.  The  rest  of  us  were  unwounded,  save 
for  myself,  who  had  picked  up  from  somewhere 
or  other  a  bayonet  graze  against  the  fifth  rib. 

"  Fluellen,"  said  the  General,  "  has  failed  me 
badly.  He  will  probably  have  good  excuses  ;  but 
I  do  not  care  for  excuses  ;  I  prefer  good  service. 
Coffin,  you  and  your  men  behaved  splendidly. 
You  have  lost  very  heavily,  but  I  will  see  that  all 
who  remain  over  are  thoroughly  rewarded.  Sir 
William,  you  were  late." 

"  I  know  it,  General,  and  I  am  sorry.  We  came 
as  soon  as  we  could.  We  didn't  stop  to  loot  a 
thing,  but  the  road  was  blocked  by  troops  in  four 
places,  and  we  had  to  fight  our  way  through.  We 
killed  about  three  times  our  own  weight  of  them, 
and  it  cost  us  twenty-four  men  to  do  it.  They 
were  bad  in  discipline,  they  were  nothing  special 
as  fighters,  but  they  just  rioted  in  numbers." 

"Well,"  said  the  General,  "you  came  in  time 
to  save  our  skins,  and  we  have  this  fort,  and  I 
thank  you  for  it." 

"What  about  the  wounded,  sir? "Davis  sug- 
gested. 

"  For  the  present  they  must  attend  to  them- 
selves, poor  fellows,  with  what  help  the  two  doc- 
tors can  give.  I  have  too  few  sound  men  left  to 
spare  a  single  one  just  now.  We  may  be  engaged 


n8  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

again  any  minute.  And  now,  gentlemen,  back  to 
your  posts,  please,  and  if  you  see  any  of  the  other 
forts  below  beginning  to  train  guns  on  us,  con- 
centrate all  your  force  and  smash  them  at  once. 
Our  envoys  cannot  reach  the  nearest  of  them  for 
another  half-hour  yet." 

The  sun  was  high  and  bright  by  this  time,  and 
the  palms  and  the  green,  heavy-laced  banana 
leaves  swung  in  the  crisp  sea-breeze.  The  city  lay 
beneath  us,  very  beautiful  and  very  restless.  The 
houses  stood  out  in  little  dabs  of  white  and  pink 
and  mauve  amongst  the  greenery,  and  from  out  of 
the  houses  soared  up  the  cathedral  with  its  great 
square  towers  of  amber-coloured  stone.  A  bell 
clanged  mournfully  in  one  of  its  turrets. 

In  the  streets  here  and  there  little  black  dots 
moved  about  hurriedly,  slinking  in  at  doors,  and 
going  at  the  run  across  the  open  plazas.  But 
there  were  no  big  congregations  of  people  ;  the 
tram-cars  were  stopped  ;  and  it  was  clear  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  folk  were  staying  within  the 
houses  and  waiting  what  the  day  might  bring 
forth. 

We,  too,  were  expecting  that  same  thing  with 
no  little  eagerness.  We  were  pretty  well  strung 
up  by  what  had  gone  before.  We  were  ready 
either  for  a  desperate  bombardment  or  to  receive 
capitulation.  And  whatever  was  to  come,  we 
wanted  it  soon,  because  our  wounds  and  our  bruises 
were  stiffening  on  us. 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS    119 

"  Billy,"  I  heard  Coffin  say,  "  if  the  music  doesn't 
begin  again  soon,  or  if  somebody  doesn't  give  me 
the  equivalent  of  a  whisky  and  soda,  I  shall  sit 
down  in  some  retired  corner  and  bust." 

"  I  don't  know  what  in  the  fiend's  name  we're 
going  through  all  this  palaver  for  at  all,"  said 
Carew.  "  We've  turned  the  position  ;  and  if  we'd 
given  each  of  those  other  forts  a  dose  straight 
away  we'd  have  blown  half  of  them  to  rags  and 
made  the  others  surrender  in  a  hurry.  Then  we 
should  have  had  a  good  excuse  to  sack  the  town 
and  get  hold  of  a  thing  or  two  worth  having.  I 
bet  there  are  lovely  pickings  in  that  cathedral. 
Oh  Lord,  if  I  only  could  get  hold  of  that  fat  old 
priest  who  keeps  the  plate  chest,  and  squeeze 
him.  .  .  ." 

"  You  sacrilegious  ruffian,"  said  Coffin,  laugh- 
ing, "  there  is  no  talk  of  sacking  this,  our  very 
prosperous  city  of  Los  Angeles.  We're  reform- 
ers, not  pirates." 

"  Oh,  where's  the  difference  ?  " 

"  The  reformer's  methods  are  far  less  crude  than 
the  pirate's.  He  gets  hold  of  the  place  first,  as 
quickly  and  suavely  as  may  be,  and  then  tightens 
his  grip  on  it,  and  squeezes  out  all  the  good  things 
into  his  own  pocket.  The  pirate  is  a  person  never 
spoken  about  now  in  decent  society.  There  is 
too  much  red  paint  and  pistols  about  him  for  the 
murder  idea." 

"  Look  here,"  said  Carew,  "  you'd  better  go  and 


120  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

talk  to  Davis.  Your  excellent  sentiments  will  just 
about  suit  him.  They're  wasted  on  me  :  I'm  past 
improving." 

"  I  don't  think  that  anything  but  a  rope  and  a 
lamp-post  will  cure  you,"  said  Coffin,  "  and  that's 
a  fact.  But,  hullo,  look  there.  It  seems  as  if  we 
are  going  to  be  saved  further  shooting.  There 
goes  up  the  white  flag  on  one  of  the  water  forts, 
and  what's  this — '  D.  W.  H.  B.'  on  two  of  the 
others.  What  does  that  mean?  Where's  the 
signal  book  ?  " 

Davis  came  up  with  it,  and  turned  over  the  pages 
on  the  chase  of  a  gun. 

"  '  D.  W.  H.  B.'  means  'surrendered.'  " 

The  other  forts  seemed  only  to  be  waiting  for 
the  lead.  Another  white  flag  fluttered  up  to  one 
of  the  redoubts  on  the  heights,  and  from  two 
others '  D.  W.  H.  B.'  broke  out  in  splashes  of  gaudy 
colour.  The  others  followed  within  a  minute  or 
so.  The  defences  of  Los  Angeles  had  all  capitu- 
lated :  it  only  remained  for  us  to  take  possession. 

Just  about  that  time,  with  a  clatter  of  hoofs  and 
a  jangle  of  harness,  Fluellen's  battery  came  to  us 
up  one  of  the  forest  roads.  A  sergeant,  a  fellow 
from  Matabeleland,  was  in  command,  and  Fluellen 
lay  a  limp,  senseless  mass  across  one  of  the  lim- 
bers. They  had  met  with  the  worst  kind  of  luck. 
Their  plans  had  been  forestalled.  They  had  been 
beset  by  masses  of  troops  at  every  point,  and  it 
was  only  by  a  marvel  of  pluck  and  cleverness  that 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS    121 

they  escaped  annihilation.  They  lost  half  their 
numbers  in  these  fierce  attacks,  and  when  at  last 
they  did  get  through,  it  was  only  to  meet  with  a 
crushing  disappointment.  The  Nuca  del  Diabolo 
had  been  guarded  in  a  way  there  was  no  getting 
over.  The  lower  ledges,  by  which,  time  before, 
Briggs  had  climbed  to  the  summit,  had  been 
blasted  away  by  dynamite  charges.  The  foot  of 
the  crag  was  made  into  a  smooth  precipice  a  hun- 
dred feet  in  height. 

The  Sacaronducan  troops  were  waiting  for 
them  even  there,  and  in  repelling  their  last  des- 
perate assault,  Fluellen  fell  with  a  bullet  through 
his  side. 

"  Coffin,"  said  the  General,  "  I  shall  leave  you 
here  in  the  post  of  honour  to  hold  this  fort  for 
me  and  keep  command  of  the  city.  You  will 
have  five  and  thirty  sound  men  and  both  the 
doctors,  and  you  will  do  all  you  can  for  the 
wounded.  Possibly  you  can  set  small  squads  of 
prisoners  to  work  helping  you.  Do  so  if  you  see 
a  chance,  and  any  way  treat  them  well.  I  wish  to 
gain  the  army  over  to  my  side  if  it  can  be  done, 
because  then  it  will  cost  far  less  life  to  win  the 
country." 

Even  with  the  total  submission  of  the  troops — 
for  the  three  regiments  in  garrison  followed  the 
example  of  the  artillery — our  day's  work  was  a 
heavy  one.  The  soldiers  marched  into  the  great 
plaza  where  our  Maxim  batteries  were  drawn  up, 


122  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

i 

piled  their  arms,  and  marched  off  to  the  two  large 
warehouses  where  they  were  billeted  under  guard. 
The  arms  were  carried  up  in  mule-waggons  to 
Carew's  post,  as  were  also  the  breech-blocks  of 
the  great  guns  in  the  other  forts  ;  and  in  fact  the 
means  of  offence  was  taken  away  from  the  city  as 
thoroughly  as  possible,  and  yet  without  doing 
any  unnecessary  damage.  The  General's  policy 
was  to  carry  matters  with  the  firmest  possible 
hand,  but  yet  at  the  same  time  to  leave  everything 
free  for  conciliation. 

Then  began  the  political  movement. 

In  the  ordinary  course  of  events  a  great  ball 
was  to  have  taken  place  in  the  city  two  evenings 
after  our  landing,  in  aid  of  a  charity.  In  the  scare 
which  followed  it  was  very  natural  that  this 
should  be  forgotten  by  some  entirely,  and  dropped 
by  others  through  the  press  of  greater  excite- 
ments. But  it  did  not  suit  the  General's  book 
that  this  ball  should  fall  through.  He  got  the 
list  of  acceptances,  and  sent  out  invitations  to  all 
the  considerable  people  of  the  city  who  had  not 
already  got  tickets,  with  the  significant  rider  that 
a  non-appearance  would  be  construed  into  a  per- 
sonal slight. 

Now  dancing  is  not  in  my  way,  and  accurately 
speaking  I  should  not  say  it  was  in  the  General's  ; 
but  he  was  a  man  who  was  quite  ready  to  turn  his 
hand  to  anything  at  all  in  reason  which  would 
serve  his  ends,  and  I — well,  I  was  his  secretary. 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS     123, 

So  to  the  great  electric-lighted  opera-house  we 
both  went  in  accurate  evening  dress,  the  General 
wearing  the  order  of  the  Gem-Orchid  of  Sacaron- 
duca,  with  its  crimson  ribbon  at  his  throat. 

The  whole  affair  was  frankly  political.  Twenty 
of  our  chaps — splendid-looking  soldiers  they  were, 
too — formed  a  guard  of  honour  up  the  two  sides 
of  the  grand  staircase.  The  General  stood  at  the 
top  before  a  small  knot  of  notables,  and  as  each 
group  came  up,  a  steward  told  me  their  names, 
and  I  presented  them  formally.  I  was  anxious 
to  hand  that  duty  on  to  Davis,  and  the  General 
was  quite  willing ;  but  Davis  (after  vast  consider- 
ation and  a  careful  study  of  the  subject  in  some 
abominable  work  on  etiquette)  stammered  out 
some  yarn  to  the  effect  that  he  was  not  sufficiently 
certain  of  himself,  and  dreaded  that  he  might 
commit  some  "  faux  pas."  For  a  man  whose  one 
ambition  of  life  was  to  advance  himself  socially, 
Davis  was  singularly  nervous  and  diffident. 

The  General,  of  course,  here  was  called  by  the 
Spanish  form  of  his  name,  Don  Esteban  Puentos, 
and  mixing  with  the  people,  I  was  astonished  to 
find  what  a  strong  reputation  he  had  made  for  him- 
self during  his  previous  life  in  the  country.  One 
fierce  partisan  of  his  (a  lady,  by  the  way)  said  to 
me,  "  Senor,  he  was  the  man  of  the  moment  when 
he  left  us ;  now  that  he  comes  back  we  look  to  him 
as  a  second  Bolivar." 

"  That  is  very  well,"  I  said  ;  "  but,  what  is  more 


124  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

to  the  point,  will  the  country  assist  to  liberate 
itself?" 

"  Certainly  it  will,"  she  answered.  "  The  troops 
you  conquered  yesterday  will  be  ready  enough  to 
help  on  your  side  to-morrow.  Fighting  is  their 
trade,  but  fighting  against  such  Paladins  as  your 
young  gentlemen  have  proved  themselves  to  be  is 
an  occupation  too  dangerous  to  be  steadily  profit- 
able. Offer  them  arms,  and  they  will  be  enthu- 
siastic in  your  support." 

"  That  doesn't  sound  very  moral,"  I  said. 

"  Mais  que  voulez-vous  ?  "  (are  they  not  soldiers 
that  we  speak  about  ?)  she  replied. 

"  Say,  rather,"  suggested  a  little  woman  in 
pince-nez  who  joined  us,  "  that  they  have  fought 
for  a  bad  government  because  it  was  the  govern- 
ment, and  there  was  no  other  in  view.  I  can't 
have  you  being  rude  to  our  service,  Mr.  Birch. 
There  are  some  awfully  nice  boys  in  it.  By  the 
way,  are  you  any  relation  to  the  Birches  of  Lis- 
naskea  in  County  Waterford  ?  I'd  a  great  friend 
there  once — Willie  Birch,  that  broke  his  neck 
driving  home  from  a  Cork  race  meeting." 

"  I'm  afraid  I'm  not  Irish.  Do  you  know  that 
island  well?" 

"  Born  there,  Mr.  Birch,  and  lived  there  most  of 
my  time  till  I  married  Don  Juan  Carmoy.  You 
have  a  Mr.  Coffin  with  you,  I'm  told.  Is  he  one 
of  the  Galway  Coffins,  or  is  he  connected  with  the 
Devonshire  lot  ?  " 


125 

"  He's  Irish,  certainly,  and  I  fancy  he  comes 
from  the  West." 

"  I  knew  a  Hugh  Coffin  once — Wee  Hugh,  they 
called  him — who  played  number  one  in  their 
county  polo  team, and  was  always  getting  cursed  for 
crossing.  There  was  always  terrible  language 
flying  about  the  ground  when  Wee  Hugh  sat 
down  to  ride.  He  went  abroad  to  England  and 
other  places  afterwards.  I  wonder  if  he's  the 
same." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  I  said.  "  Our  man's 
Hugh,  I  know,  and  he  rides  eight  stone  easily. 
He's  on  duty  to-night,  but  I'll  introduce  him  to- 
morrow if  I  may,  and  let  him  answer  for  himself. 
And  now  would  you  excuse  me  for  just  eighteen 
seconds  ?  I'm  the  General's  secretary,  and  I  must 
see  what  this  despatch  is  about." 

A  cablegram  had  been  handed  to  me  from  the 
great  firm  in  Europe  who  were  financing  the  revolu- 
tion. This  is  how  it  ran,  translated,  of  course, 
from  the  private  code  in  which  it  was  written  : — 

(Copy.) 
"  From  Holstein's,  London. 

"  To  C.  O.  Revolutionary  Forces, 

"  Los  Angeles,  Sacaronduca. 
"  Received  your  cable  announcing   capture  of 
town.     Offer  congratulations.     We  learn  on  unde- 
niable authority  that  a  firm  whose  interests  are 
opposed  to  ours  has  made  a  determined  bid  to 


126  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

overset  your  enterprise.  Who  their  agent  is  we 
cannot  discover,  but  we  have  learnt  that  he  is  a 
needy,  desperate  man,  and  formerly  in  the  British 
Service.  He  is  to  be  paid  by  results.  If  by  any 
device  he  succeeds  in  crushing  you,  our  opponents 
have  guaranteed  him  a  payment  of  half  a  million 
sterling  drawable  on  a  London  bank.  This  seems 
to  hint  that  some  tremendous  weapon  will  be  used 
against  you  ;  and  though  we  know  nothing  of  its 
nature,  we  thought  best  to  put  you  on  your 
guard." 

I  had  been  obliged  to  go  to  my  quarters  for 
the  code  book,  and  the  translation  was  tedious,  so 
that  an  hour  had  passed  before  I  got  back  to  the 
opera-house  again  to  give  the  General  the  news. 
The  scene  there  had  entirely  changed.  I  had  left 
a  brilliant,  glittering  assembly,  rather  ill  at  its 
ease,  and  rustling  with  an  uneasy  curiosity.  The 
band,  the  warmth  (and  perhaps  the  champagne) 
had  livened  it  up.  The  excitement  was  there 
before,  latent,  and  subcutaneous ;  these  things 
had  set  it  loose ;  and  from  excitement  had  grown 
enthusiasm. 

The  place  was  all  aglow  with  it.  Women  with 
their  cheeks  flushed,  men  with  their  eyes  bright 
with  tingling  moisture,  stood  on  the  floor  of  the 
house  listening  to  a  woman  who  spoke  to  them 
from  a  first  tier  box.  I  did  not  hear  what  she 
said  to  stir  them  up  like  this  ;  I  only  saw  her  as 


OCCUPATION  OF  THE  ANGELS    127 

she  finished — a  lithe,  beautiful  creature  with  dia- 
monds in  her  black  hair,  and  lovely  bare  rounded 
arms  which  gesticulated  as  she  spoke — and  heard 
the  last  words. 

"  Long  live  President  Puentos  !  "  she  cried,  and 
the  answering  "  vivas  "  made  the  great  theatre 
tremble  like  thunderclaps.  Never  did  any  man 
have  such  an  ovation.  Never  I  think  did  any 
man  have  such  a  champion. 

I  turned  and  saw  Donna  Carmoy  at  my  elbow. 

She  was  pale  as  a  ghost  and  trembling  violently. 
"  Delicia  here  !  "  I  heard  her  mutter.  "  Delicia 
here  and  playing  that  part !  What  can  it  all 
mean  ?  " 


CHAPTER    X 

A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT  ONES 

"  I'LL  tell  you  what  to  do  with  all  this  stock  of 
prisoners,"  said  Carew.  "  Keep  half  here  in  gaol 
at  Los  Angeles,  send  the  rest  to  fight  at  the  front, 
and  shoot  your  hostages  out  of  hand  if  the  others 
don't  do  as  they're  told.  Give  'em  clearly  to  un- 
derstand this,  and  you'll  have  fifteen  hundred  very 
possible  second-rate  troops.  That  seems  a  plain, 
sensible  way  to  deal  with  the  matter." 

"  Rather  bloodthirsty,  Sir  William,"  said  Davis. 

"  Oh,  I'm  no  man,"  Carew  retorted,  "  for  milk- 
and-water  schemes.  I'm  about  sick  of  this  in- 
fernal country  already.  I  want  to  make  my  pile 
out  of  it  and  be  off  home,  and  so  far  the  only 
things  I've  collected  have  been  two  items  I  didn't 
want — to  wit,  wounds." 

"  Of  which  only  one  would  rank  for  a  pen- 
sion if  such  things  were  throwing  about,"  said 
Fluellen. 

"  I'll  ask  you  to  explain  ?  "  said  Carew,  sourly. 

"  Why,  didn't  you  get  one  snipe-shooting  on 
your  own  account,  or  at  any  rate  not  Sacaron- 
ducan-shooting  on  Briggs's?" 
128 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    129 

"  If  you  put  it  that  way,"  said  Carew,  "  I  sup- 
pose I  did.  But  you  mustn't  speak  of  the 
gentleman  as  Briggs  now.  He's  rather  adopted 
the  Grand  Llama  style  of  behaviour,  and  Don 
Esteban  seems  the  most  familiar  name  he  can 
comfortably  do  with.  I  should  call  the  move  a 
little  unwise.  He's  counting  too  much  on  his 
Presidency  before  it  is  quite  hatched." 

"  He  has  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of  his  position," 
said  Davis. 

"  Oh,  dignity  be  sugared,"  Carew  returned. 
"  Aren't  we  a  gang  of  filibusters,  which  is  the 
polite  modern  way  of  saying  a  crew  of  pirates  ? 
And  wouldn't  old  Maxillo  hang  Briggs  if  he  could 
only  lay  hold  of  him,  with  just  as  little  pomp  and 
ceremony  as  he'd  hang  any  of  the  rest  of  us?  It's 
no  use  our  playing  at  being  kings  and  queens ; 
that's  a  kid's  game.  But  what  we  did  have  a  fine 
chance  of  was  an  excellent  lot  of  loot,  and  that 
we  aren't  going  the  right  way  to  collect.  No, 
nowhere  near.  I  don't  see  the  prospect  of  finger- 
ing so  much  as  a  miserable  gold  candlestick,  let 
alone  getting  a  concession  for  a  mine  which  one 
could  sell  to  fools  at  home,  or  anything  big  in 
that  line.  It  strikes  me  I've  been  made  a  common 
gull  of,  coming  out  here  ;  yes,  in  more  ways  than 
one." 

"  Why  don't  you  hedge  ?  "  Coffin  asked  with 
a  laugh.  "  Why  don't  you  write  to  Maxillo  and 
say  that  for  a  cool  ten  thousand  down  you'll  put 
9 


130  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

your  hands  in  your  pockets  and  go  off  peaceably 
home  ?  " 

"  Because  the  old  beast  hasn't  got  the  money 
or  else  I'd  do  it,  although,  by  Jove,  ten  thou's 
little  enough  to  get  one's  skin  slit  up  like 
mine  is." 

"  Billy,"  said  Coffin,  "  don't  be  cantankerous. 
"  We're  going  to  march  on  Dolores  next  week, 
and  then  you'll  have  work  enough  to  keep  you 
from  grumbling.  It's  high  feeding  and  nothing 
to  do  that's  at  the  bottom  of  your  complaint. 
That,  and  sighing  after  Delicia.  You're  wasting 
time  and  good  looks  there,  my  boy.  She's  the 
General's  money.  It's  a  sure  thing." 

"  My  dear  Wee  Hugh,  nothing  is  certain  in  this 
life,  especially  women.  If  I  cultivate  Delicia, 
'  pour  passer  le  temps/  I'm  at  any  rate  no  more 
conspicuous  than  the  rest  of  you.  I  admire  the 
lady  ;  who  doesn't  ?  But  I'm  not  after  marrying 
her.  If  I  were,  I  should  nip  her  up  whilst  other 
people  were  waiting  (and  under  their  noses  if  it 
suited  me  to  do  so)  and  put  her  down  a  '  padre,' 
and  marry  her  whether  she  liked  it  or  whether 
she  didn't." 

"  I  don't  fancy,"  said  Coffin,  drily,  "you'd  make 
a  model  husband,  Billy.  There's  rather  too  much 
of  the  savage  about  you  at  times  for  domestic  con- 
sumption." 

"  Had  we  not  better  close  the  subject,  Sir 
William  ?  "  said  Davis.  "  Do  you  know,  I  think 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    131 

it  is  hardly  gentlemanly  to  discuss  with  so  much 
freedom — er " 

Carew  laughed.  "  A  lady  you  are  sweet  on 
yourself,  eh?  You  are  a  good  old  muddler, 
Davis." 

"  Oh,  she  never  looks  at  me,"  said  Davis. 

"  Own  fault,  man  ;  make  her.  Put  less  fashion- 
plate  into  your  talk,  and  more  dash.  If  she  won't 
listen  to  you  when  you're  civil,  be  rude ;  and  if 
she  won't  listen  then,  be  damned  rude.  You  don't 
know  how  to  tackle  women." 

"  Ladies,"  said  Davis.     "  No,  I  don't." 

"  There  you  are,  and  you  let  'em  see  it,  which 
is  fatal.  They  care  nothing  for  fledglings.  But 
if  you  let  out  you've  committed  three  murders 
already  and  a  highway  robbery,  and  are  quite 
ready  to  continue  the  series,  then  they  will  be 
prepared  to  adore  you.  It's  stupid  of  them  ;  but 
that's  the  way  the  dear  things  are  built." 

"  Sir  William,"  said  Davis  uncomfortably,  "  we 
will  not  continue  this  talk,  if  you  please.  I  have 
taught  myself  to  regard  ladies  chivalrously,  and  I 
do  not  think  I  am  likely  to  change." 

"Bravo,"  said  Coffin,  "you  are  the  only  de' 
cently  moral  man  amongst  us.  Billy,  you  old 
ruffian,  there  goes  the  '  assembly.'  You've  got 
five  hundred  of  our  ex-prisoners  to  lick  into  shape, 
and  you've  got  your  work  cut  out  if  you're  going 
to  make  a  regiment  of  them.  So  have  I,  only 
worse,  because  there's  devilish  few  of  my  poor 


I32  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

old  corps  left  to  make  officers  and  non-com's  out 
of.  So  long,  boys.  Do  your  work.  See  you  at 
mess." 

Off  they  went,  and  Davis  left  at  the  same  time 
to  hammer  at  his  transport  and  commissariat  busi- 
ness. I  found  myself  alone  with  Fluellen,  and 
what  I  had  been  dreading  for  some  days  took 
place  at  last. 

"  Look  here,  Birch,"  he  said,  "  who  is  this  man, 
Don  Juan  Carmoy,  they  are  talking  about?" 

"  Oh,"  I  said  indifferently,  "  he's  a  person  who 
considers  himself  big  in  these  parts,  and  who  cer- 
tainly has  money  and  influence,  and  who  has  been 
kind  enough  to  declare  for  us.  A  regular  Spanish- 
looking  body,  but  business-like,  and  a  goodish 
acquisition,  as  men  go  round  here.  He  is  to  have 
some  sort  of  a  billet  in  the  new  Government." 

"  Seen  his  wife?" 

"  If  he's  married  I  dare  say  I  have.  One  meets 
such  scores  of  people.  Why,  have  you  seen  her  ? 
I  thought  you'd  been  lying  here  on  your  back  all 
the  time." 

He  turned  over  on  the  sofa,  and  faced  the 
wall. 

"  I'm  not  altogether  a  fool,  Birch,  or  a  child ; 
though  I've  no  doubt  you've  heard  all  about  my 
particular  bother,  and  imagine  me  both.  Now  just 
tell  me  fairly  and  squarely  how  things  are  going 
on  in  that  direction  here,  and  what  they  say  about 
me  in  connection  with  them." 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    133 

"  You  ask  me,"  I  said,  "  a  great  deal  more  than 
I  can  tell  you.  I  did  hear  some  time  since  that 
you  were  engaged  to  Donna  Carmoy  once,  and 
(remembering  that)  when  I  met  her  here  and  your 
name  was  mentioned,  I  did  not  see  that  she 
showed  an  interest  which  was  not  altogether  calm 
and  placid.  She's  rather  an  excitable  little  wo- 
man, I  should  say." 

"  And  Carmoy  ?  " 

"  Is  wrapped  up  in  furthering  the  interests  of 
Don  Juan  Carmoy.  So  far  he  hasn't  shown  the 
least  outward  uneasiness  about  your  existence, 
though  by  the  way  of  experiment,  I  let  drop 
casually  the  fact  that  you  had  known  his  wife 
previously." 

"  And  what  did  he  say  to  that  ?  " 

"  Ah,  I'm  sorry  he's  hurt,"  said  he.  "  Hope  he 
gets  better.  I  should  like  to  ask  this  Seflor 
Fluellen  to  dinner." 

Fluellen  laughed  bitterly.  After  a  pause  he 
asked,  "  And  she,  Julia,  does  she  care  for  this 
fellow?" 

"  My  dear  chap,"  I  answered,  "  you  expect  me 
to  know  too  much.  It  is  not  a  question  which  I 
should  like  to  put  to  the  lady,  and  so  far  she  has 
not  given  herself  away.  The  few  times  I've  seen 
them  together,  they  behaved  as  ordinary  society 
people ;  neither  gush  nor  squabble ;  and  in  fact 
show  up  like  a  reasonable  married  couple." 

"  Anv  children  ?  " 


I34  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  No — at  any  rate  none  living  now.  I  asked 
that." 

"  Ah,"  said  Fluellen,  "  I  think  I'm  glad  of  that. 
Well,  Birch,  thanks  for  what  you've  told  me.  You 
want  to  be  off  to  your  work  ?  Then  I  won't  pester 
you  any  longer  now,  and  in  a  week  or  so  I  shall 
be  about  again  to  see  matters  for  myself.  But  in 
the  meanwhile  you  might  be  a  kind  chap  and  keep 
your  eyes  open,  and  tell  me  what's  going  along." 

"  Look  here,"  I  said  ;  "  I  tell  you  flatly  I'm  go- 
ing to  assist  in  raising  no  earthquakes  between 
Don  Juan  Carmoy  and  yourself.  The  Cause  is 
going  most  prosperously  ahead,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  see  it  brought  up  with  a  round  turn.  You 
and  he  are  both  of  you  men  far  too  capable  to 
be  wasting  your  time  in  cutting  one  another's 
throats." 

"  Our  throats  are  our  own,  I  suppose." 

"  Yours  isn't,  anyway,"  I  said,  with  my  hand  on 
the  door.  "  You've  signed  yourself  away  body 
and  brains  to  help  the  General  in  this  revolution, 
and  until  he  gives  you  your  formal  discharge, 
you  know  what  you're  liable  to  if  you  fail  him." 

"  That's  right,"  said  Fluellen ;  "  try  and  scare 
me  with  the  idea  of  being  stuck  up  against  a  wall 
and  shot.  Oh,  you  well-intentioned  old  owl. 
There,  away  with  you,  and  get  on  with  your  work, 
and  leave  me  to  pick  up  strength." 

"  Hope  Fluellen  is  pulling  up  again,"  said  the 
General  as  he  rode  past  me  when  I  got  outside 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    135 

the  door,  and  I  said,  "  Oh,  yes,  nicely,"  but  I 
can't  say  that  I  felt  enthusiastic  over  his  quick 
recovery.  It  rather  struck  me  that  as  soon  as  he 
emerged  from  the  shelf,  there  would  be  other 
complications  to  deal  with  which  we  could  very 
well  do  without.  Holsteins'  lengthy  cablegram 
was  giving  us  quite  all  the  extra  anxiety  we  had 
any  use  for  already. 

As  it  turned  out,  however,  though  these  vague 
dangers  dangled  over  our  heads,  neither  of  them 
fell ;  other  worries  vanished  which  we  had  quite 
reckoned  on  having  to  deal  with ;  and,  in  fact, 
matters  prospered  with  us  beyond  belief.  The 
country  had  been  without  its  revolution  for 
months,  and  we  had  come  at  the  psychological 
moment.  Our  leader  was  popular,  and  his  method 
had  the  delicious  charm  of  novelty.  They  had 
experienced  most  kinds  of  fighting  in  Sacaron- 
duca ;  never  before  the  inroad  of  British  filibus- 
ters ;  and  certainly  never  fighting  to  set  up  a 
government  of  such  a  kind  as  Briggs  proposed. 

They  were  a  people  quick  to  take  up  new  ideas ; 
to  flash  out  with  one  wild  enthusiasm  to-day,  and 
another  on  entirely  fresh  lines  to-morrow  ;  a  race 
of  human  beings  with  souls  hung  on  spiral  springs. 
They  were  starving  for  excitement  when  we  came  ; 
had  been  for  seven  solid  months  ;  and  when  the 
meal  was  set  down  before  them,  they  ate  of  it 
with  greedy  splutterings.  Three  quarters  of  Los 
Angeles  wanted,  so  they  said,  to  fight  or  intrigue 


136  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

for  their  new  hero,  Don  Esteban  Puentos  ;  and  as 
a  preliminary  they  desired  the  blood  of  everybody 
who  did  not  agree  with  them  utterly  ;  and  (what 
we  could  not  avoid)  got  some  flow  of  it.  A  little 
murder  was  necessary  to  warm  them  up  to  the 
part. 

When  it  came  to  actual  volunteering  for  service 
in  the  new  army,  there  they  did  not  show  up  so 
well.  True,  we  had  abundance  of  offers  from  aged 
men  and  cripples,  and  others  who  obviously  could 
not  pass  the  most  lenient  physique  examination ; 
but  the  able-bodied  (when  it  came  to  the  point) 
felt  themselves  wanted  by  the  calls  of  their  busi- 
ness in  Los  Angeles,  or  were  the  last  male  sur- 
vivors of  an  old  and  important  line,  or  reluctantly 
stayed  behind  at  the  plea  of  a  fiance"  e,  or  a  mother 
or  an  only  sister.  Several  indeed  wished  to  join 
us  as  war  correspondents,  and  some  enthusiasts 
did  get  up  a  red  cross  society  with  a  very  correct 
uniform  ;  but  when  all  was  said  and  done  a  bare 
hundred  only  of  these  eager  civilians  came  for- 
ward to  shoulder  a  rifle ;  and  if  it  had  not  been 
for  our  former  military  opponents  joining  us,  we 
should  have  been  in  queer  street  so  far  as  number 
went. 

These  gentlemen,  however,  made  small  bones 
about  changing  their  allegiance.  A  very  short 
spell  in  prison  persuaded  them  that  it  was  quite 
unsatisfactory  to  rust  there  any  longer ;  and  on 
the  fourth  day  of  their  incarceration  a  memorial, 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT  137; 

couched  in  the  most  handsome  of  terms,  was  for- 
warded to  their  "  Illustrious  Conqueror."  They 
avowed  themselves  as  eager  to  serve  the  rising 
sun,  and  wrote  out  a  wish  that  he  might  shine  a 
thousand  years.  In  fact,  plain  people  might  have 
called  them  the  most  pernicious  of  renegades,  and 
(probably  from  such  feeling  as  this)  their  offer 
was  not  accepted  in  all  its  completeness.  We  did 
not  re-enlist  them  "  en  bloc."  We  picked  out 
small  squads  at  a  time  and  joined  them  to  our 
"  corps  d'elite,"  and  then,  as  we  got  confidence  in 
these,  added  others,  and  so  on.  Moreover,  many 
we  retained  in  an  unarmed  condition  to  make  the 
personnel  of  the  transport  and  commissariat 
services. 

This  last  was  a  very  important  item  in  our  forth- 
coming expedition  against  the  capital.  There 
had  been  countless  railways  projected  from 
Dolores  to  the  Mexican  Gulf  Coast ;  for  three  of 
them  the  money  had  actually  been  raised ;  but 
the  sums  so  gathered  were  "  bonnes  bouches  " 
which  no  self-respecting  Sacaronducan  could  resist 
having  a  snatch  at,  and  in  the  general  scramble  a 
mere  derision  of  a  capital  had  remained  over.  One 
of  these  lines  had  two  thousand  and  four  yards  of 
track  laid  under  a  dense  growth  of  secondary 
forest ;  another  possessed  three  second-hand  loco- 
motives and  a  scrap  heap  of  venerable  flange-rails ; 
whilst  the  third  had  exhausted  itself  in  setting  up 
a  commodious  terminus  building,  and  as  a  forlorn 


138  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

hope  of  dividends  had  rented  this  to  a  Wesleyan 
mission. 

All  communication,  therefore,  between  Los 
Angeles  and  the  capital  (excepting  over  a  con- 
stantly broken  telegraph  wire)  was  by  road,  and  a 
very  bad  road  at  that.  It  had  never  been  treated 
to  the  principles  of  MacAdam  at  any  point ;  the 
utmost  it  could  boast  of  being  a  fathom  or  so  of 
corduroy  at  the  more  than  usually  impassable 
spots ;  and  the  rivers  which  gapped  it  were  never 
thought  worth  rebridging  between  revolutions. 
This  road  was  eighty-nine  miles  in  length,  and 
native  gentlemen  of  energy  were  proud  when  they 
traversed  it  on  mule  back  within  the  week. 

Now  an  army,  marching  on  foot  and  being  en- 
cumbered with  its  military  stores,  artillery,  camp 
followers,  and  other  impedimenta,  cannot  be 
expected  to  move  at  the  pace  of  mounted  men 
travelling  light.  So  General  Briggs  announced 
publicly  that  he  should  allow  ten  days  to  make 
the  march,  and  would  start  on  the  twenty-first  of 
November.  He  gave  facilities  for  spies  to  carry 
these  tidings  to  President  Maxillo  in  Dolores,  and 
then  proceeded  to  do  the  unexpected.  He 
paraded  troops  and  transport  at  dawn  on  the 
i6th,  and  set  off  on  the  quickest  of  forced  marches, 
taking  care  that  no  one  got  in  front  of  him  to 
carry  on  the  amended  news.  Delicia,  with  Donna 
Carmoy,  accompanied  the  army  on  horseback. 

He   covered  the   distance   in    five   days,  and 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    139 

marched  into  Dolores  an  hour  before  dawn  on  the 
22nd.  President  Maxillo  was  making  the  safest 
of  preparations  to  crush  us;  but  unfortunately 
his  dispositions  were  not  to  come  into  force  till 
the  end  of  November ;  and,  so  instead  of  a 
pitched  battle  on  the  plain  before  the  city,  con- 
ducted on  scientific  lines,  we  had  a  morning's  sharp 
rough  and  tumble  fighting  in  the  streets,  and  we 
rushed  the  Presidential  Palace  so  unexpectedly 
that  Maxillo  had  barely  time  to  escape  by  a  side 
door  when  Carew  and  a  handful  of  his  men  capered 
in  at  the  front. 

I  fancy  it  was  Briggs's  design  that  his  rival 
should  have  met  with  a  fatal  accident  in  the  tak- 
ing of  the  place,  so  as  to  avoid  further  complica- 
tions with  him  ;  and  if  this  was  impracticable,  he 
wished  to  take  the  man  prisoner,  and  hold  him 
closely  ;  but  the  old  ruffian  was  too  slippery  to 
lay  hands  upon,  and  too  wily  to  stand  in  the  way 
of  a  bullet.  He  got  on  a  horse  and  galloped  away 
through  the  devious  old  streets  of  the  capital, 
with  his  guard  following,  and  his  household  not 
far  behind. 

He  was  making  for  his  estate  amongst  the 
Tolpec  Mountains,  a  place  that  was  half  hacienda, 
half  stronghold,  and  so  fortified  by  nature  that 
twelve  men  could  hold  it  for  ever  against  twelve 
armies.  It  could  not  be  reduced  by  famine,  see- 
ing that  it  produced  its  own  food  ;  it  could  not 
be  shelled ;  and  any  attempt  to  storm  it  would 


140  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

be  the  maddest  kind  of  foolishness.  And  in  re- 
treat to  this  point  the  troops  which  remained 
loyal  to  him  passed  out  along  converging  roads 
as  fast  as  we  drove  them  from  the  city. 

Our  cavalry,  when  the  fighting  in  the  streets 
slackened,  and  they  were  disengaged,  followed, 
and  in  some  small  degree  cut  up  the  retreat. 
But  both  men  and  horses  were  jaded  with  the 
forced  march  and  the  work  they  had  done  before, 
and  I  don't  think  they  did  much  damage,  and 
certainly  brought  in  but  few  prisoners.  These 
last  apparently  expected  to  be  shot  out  of  hand, 
and  so  were  agreeably  surprised  to  learn  that 
they  would  be  set  at  complete  liberty  again  so 
soon  as  the  country  had  been  allowed  a  week  or 
so  to  settle  down. 

I  cannot  say  that  Dolores  gave  us  a  reception 
like  the  one  we  got  at  Los  Angeles.  The  capital 
contained  older-fashioned,  less  enterprising  people, 
who  saw  much  more  of  the  bi-annual  revolutions, 
and  were  so  cloyed  with  them  that  they  held 
rootedly  Conservative  objections  to  each  fresh 
change.  The  citizens  did  not  rise  against  us; 
but  they  showed  an  apathetic  dislike  to  the  new 
cause  which  was  far  more  galling. 

On  the  day  after  our  arrival  the  troops  were 
paraded  in  the  plaza  before  the  palace,  and  from 
the  balcony  Don  Juan  Carmoy  proclaimed  the 
new  President.  The  square  was  packed  with 
people,  men  and  women  both,  and  they  listened 


A  CHAIR  AMONGST  THE  GREAT    141 

with  grave  attention  whilst  the  General  gave  an 
outline  of  his  future  policy.  There  was  some 
little  enthusiasm,  when  he  ceased  speaking,  but 
not  much.  The  better  class  of  people  in  Dolores 
considered  it  bad  form  to  be  demonstrative,  and 
most  of  their  inferiors  followed  the  example  set 
them.  But  on  the  other  hand  there  was  no  coun- 
ter-demonstration. There  must  have  been  many 
of  our  opponents  present  in  the  square,  but  for 
one  reason  and  another  they  thought  best  to  pre- 
serve a  massive  silence. 

The  General  finished  his  speech,  and  two  or 
three  other  men  spoke,  lamely  and  without  spirit, 
and  then  we  went  back  off  the  balcony  into  the 
state  drawing-room  of  the  palace.  For  myself  I 
can  honestly  say  I  was  feeling  chilled  and  de- 
pressed. I  had  expected  a  repetition  of  the  scene 
at  Los  Angeles,  a  show  of  wild  enthusiasm  ;  and 
this  callous  indifference  went  into  me  like  a  driz- 
zling cold  rain.  I  verily  believe  I  should  have 
preferred  howls  of  execration. 

As  for  the  General — the  President,  as  I  suppose 
he  should  now  be  called — his  face  was  inscrutable, 
his  manner  as  quiet  and  decisive  as  ever.  From 
the  natural  appearance  of  the  man  he  might  have 
had  the  most  brilliant  reception  that  was  ever 
accorded.  With  a  smile  he  handed  me  a  cable- 
gram he  had  just  received.  It  was  from  "Hoi- 
steins,  London,"  and  said, "  Repeat  previous  warn- 
ing." 


142  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  H'm,"  I  said,  "  taken  all  together  things  look 
rather  blue." 

"  Oh,  no,  my  dear  Birch,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
President  already,  and  I  shall  remain  in  office. 
People  do  not  quite  realise  the  matter  yet ;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  Maxillo,  and  this  mysterious 
assistant  of  his  whom  Holsteins  talk  about,  will 
try  and  regain  power  ;  but  'j'y  suis  et  j'y.  reste,' 
and  Sacaronduca  will  discover  that  more  fully 
before  long." 

"  I  had  a  notion,"  I  remarked,  "  that  Miss 
Delicia  was  to  have  been  with  us  on  the  balcony 
to-day." 

"  I  confess  I  quite  expected  her,"  the  General 
replied,  "  and  (compliments  aside),  I  am  sure  we 
lost  by  her  absence.  The  mere  sight  of  her  would 
have  woke  many  of  these  people  up,  just  as  it  did 
at  Los  Angeles.  And  if  she  had  said  ten  words 
to  them,  they  would  have  warmed  up  at  once. 
But  I  conclude  she  had  some  excellent  reason 
for  staying  away." 

"  Davis  came  into  the  room  of  a  rush.  "  Gentle- 
men," he  cried,  "  Donna  Delicia  has  disappeared. 
She  must  have  been  carried  away — kidnapped. 
I  have  just  got  the  news  from  her  maid." 

"  My  God,"  exclaimed  the  new  President ; 
"  that  is  Maxillo's  doing.  He  will  kill  her." 


CHAPTER  XI 

POLITICS  AND  A  PLAIN   GOLD   RING 

"  IT  seems  to  me,  gentlemen,"  the  General  said 
that  evening,  "  that  it  would  be  better  if  I  told 
you  something  about  Donna  Delicia's  previous 
connection  with  Sacaronduca." 

He  passed  a  hand  wearily  over  his  face  and 
paused.  I  had  never  seen  him  so  knocked  up 
before.  Delicia  had  vanished  without  leaving  so 
much  as  a  trace  behind  her.  She  had  lunched 
with  the  Carmoys  ;  had  spoken  of  assisting  at  the 
scene  in  the  grand  plaza  in  the  afternoon  ;  had 
gone  to  her  room  for  some  matter  of  toilette  ; 
and  had  not  again  been  viewed.  An  instant 
search  had  been  made,  with  every  force  available, 
and  with  scientific  thoroughness.  We  could  only 
satisfy  ourselves  that  she  was  not  in  the  city. 
She  had  been  spirited  away  with  consummate 
cleverness,  and  everything  pointed  to  Maxillo  as 
the  kidnapper.  And  if  it  was  true  that  he  had 
the  girl  in  his  hands,  then  one  could  only  hope 
that  God  would  help  her.  Maxillo  was  a  revenge- 
ful man,  and  one  entirely  ruthless,  and  by  this 
time  he  could  not  be  ignorant  that  he  owed  his 
down-throw  almost  entirely  to  Delicia  alone.  It 


144  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

made  one  shiver  to  think  what  he  might  do  to 
her  if  he  got  her  up  in  the  Tolpec  Mountains. 
The  people  were  half  Indians  there,  and  he  was 
an  autocrat  amongst  them.  She  would  be  hope- 
lessly  in  his  power. 

"  I  saw  her,"  the  General  began,  "  when  she 
first  came  back  to  this  country  as  a  widow.  Her 
husband  had  died  on  the  road  out — a  weak  crea- 
ture by  accounts,  whom  she  had  married  for  a 
freak — but  she  did  not  pretend  any  deep  sorrow 
for  him.  She  came  straight  to  her  palace  here 
in  Dolores,  and  (if  one  may  so  express  it)  set  up 
her  court.  She  did  not  encourage  any  flagrant 
gaiety.  But  she  by  no  means  shut  herself  up. 
She  said  that  to  do  so  might  be  conventional,  but 
it  was  entirely  useless  ;  it  did  that  poor  fellow 
her  husband  no  good  ;  and  if  she  donned  black,  it 
was  because  black  suited  her,  and  was,  moreover, 
a  very  fashionable  wear. 

"  It  was  at  this  time  that  I  first  met  Delicia.  I 
did  not  see  her  often,  because  my  business  brought 
me  seldom  to  the  capital ;  and  I  cannot  say  that 
she  showed  any  marked  preference  for  me.  I  just 
stood  to  her  a  grade  above  the  level  of  an  ordi- 
nary acquaintance.  You  see  I  was  a  successful 
man  just  then,  and  she  has  a  liking  for  success." 

He  paused  again,  and  Carew  nodded  at  Coffin, 
and  I  exchanged  glances  with  Davis.  This  creed 
of  cultivating  success  was  one  which  we  were 
beginning  to  have  a  good  strong  intimacy  with. 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     145 

"Now  you  must  please  to  remember  that  I 
speak  to  you  from  now,  not  as  my  officers,  but  as 
friends  and  inmates.  There  are  things  which  a 
man  does  not  care  to  bawl  abroad  openly,  and  one 
is  the  matter  of  love.  But  it  is  necessary  for  a 
proper  understanding  of  what  happened  after- 
wards that  you  should  be  clearly  told  how  the 
balance  of  feeling  lay  between  Deliciaand  myself, 
and  one  other.  I,  gentlemen,  feel  no  shame  in 
confessing  that  I  felt  the  strongest  affection  for 
her  from  the  moment  of  our  very  first  meeting. 
You  have  seen  her,  all  of  you  ;  you  have  felt  her 
charm,  and  you  will  have  small  difficulty  in  un- 
derstanding this.  She,  I  may  say  at  once,  did 
not  return  this  feeling  in  any  degree  whatever. 
She  was  completely  wrapped  up  in  President 
Maxillo." 

"  What,  she  was  sweet  on  that  old  goat  ?  " 
Carew  rapped  out.  "  Well,  up  till  now  I  had 
credited  the  lady  with  taste." 

The  General  frowned.  "  You  are  jumping  at 
a  conclusion,  Sir  William.  A  woman  may  be 
attracted  to  a  man  by  other  reasons  than  love. 
Maxillo  was  a  strong  man  in  his  way,  and  he  was 
the  head  of  Sacaronduca.  Delicia  chose  to  be 
ambitious.  She  knew  that  she  could  strengthen 
the  President's  hand  and  increase  the  power  of 
the  State  if  she  chose  to  set  about  it ;  but  she  did 
not  see  fit  to  do  this  unless  it  was  put  in  her  way 

to  share  some  of  the  resulting  '  kudos.'    There 
10 


146  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

was  a  way  to  do  this  which  everyone  saw,  Maxillo 
amongst  others.  Indeed,  he  proposed  it  to  her. 
1  Marry  me,'  he  said. 

"  '  That  is  precisely  what  I  want,  with  limita- 
tions,' says  she.  '  I  will  take  your  name,  help 
your  work,  and  share  your  rewards,  and  that  is 
exactly  all.  We  must  keep  up  two  different 
establishments,  precisely  as  we  do  at  present.' 

"  '  That  is  not  a  thing  I  shall  do,'  says  Maxillo. 
'  Either  I  marry  you  or  I  do  not.  I  have  never 
peddled  in  half  measures  yet  through  forty  years 
of  life,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  begin  even  for 
the  most  fascinating  young  woman  in  Central 
America.' 

"  '  Yet  I  shall  be  useful  to  you  as  an  ally.' 

" '  Seftora,  I  place  the  highest  value  on  your 
wit  and  cleverness.' 

"  '  And  possibly  might  prove  destructive  as  an 
enemy.' 

"  '  Dangerous  at  any  rate.' 

" '  Well,'  says  Delicia,  '  it  is  curious  that  the 
only  man  I  want  as  a  husband  refuses  to  marry 
me.  A  good  many  scores  of  others  have  asked 
for  the  post,  so  up  till  now  I  used  to  think  myself 
rather  attractive  than  otherwise.' 

"  '  Seflora,'  says  Maxillo,  '  if  you  were  a  thou- 
sand times  less  attractive  I  might  do  as  you  wish  ; 
but  because  you  are  as  you  are,  I  must  either 
make  you  my  wife  or  not  marry  you  at  all.  The 
"  so-near-and-yet-so-far  "  type  of  existence  with 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     147 

you  would  be  a  torment  which  a  Dictatorship 
over  all  the  Americas  could  not  compensate. 
You  see  I  am  human  enough  to  have  so  great  an 
admiration  for  you.' 

"  '  Why,  bless  the  man,'  says  Delicia,  '  how  un- 
reasonable it  is.  The  admiration  is  quite  as  large 
on  my  side,  or  I  shouldn't  have  offered  to  go  into 
any  sort  of  partnership  whatever.' 

"  Maxillo  sighed  and  shook  his  head.  '  Per- 
haps,' he  said,  '  matters  may  continue  to  go  on  as 
they  have  done  heretofore.  Quien  sabe  ? ' 

"'Quien  sabe?'  says  Delicia.  'I  make  no 
threats  and  few  promises.  That  isn't  my  way. 
I  mostly  do  things  and  let  them  announce  them- 
selves. I  wonder  you  haven't  seen  that  for 
yourself.' 

"  '  The  bother  is,  I  have,'  says  Maxillo,  thought- 
fully ;  'and  I  know  you  can  be  dangerous  if  you 
like.  I  believe  if  I  were  wise,  I  should  give  my 
feelings  a  wrench,  and  have  you  deported  over 
the  boundary  line.' 

"  '  My  dear  man,'  says  Delicia,  '  either  have 
me  conveniently  killed  out  of  the  way — and  that 
is  probably  your  only  safe  course — or  else  do 
nothing.  If  I  want  to  be  up  to  mischief,  it  is  a 
matter  of  utter  indifference  whether  my  carnal 
body  is  in  Dolores  or  London.  And  if  you  do 
send  me  into  exile,  and  I  did  take  it  into  my  head 
to  meddle  (and  of  course  do  it  successfully)  you'd 
only  look  ridiculous.' 


I48  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

" '  That  is  so/  says  Maxillo.  '  I  won't  send 
you  away,  and  as  kill  you  I  can't,  you  will  have 
an  entirely  free  hand.  But,  Seftora,  I  shall  keep 
a  most  paternal  eye  over  your  doings.' 

"  '  Then,'  says  Delicia,  '  I  will  provide  a  most 
connective  set  of  movements  for  your  inspection. 
And  so,  Senor  et  Presidente,  hasta  la  maflana.'  " 

The  General  paused  again.  "  This,"  said  Carew, 
"throws  light  on  many  things.  Not  a  clear 
electric  light,  you  understand,  but  a  good  steady 
glow  which  shows  up  several  matters  which  were 
in  the  dark  before." 

"  If  you  would  talk  plainer  English,  Billy,  you'd 
be  a  more  popular  man,"  said  Coffin.  "  Perhaps 
you'd  better  explain.  I  can't  puzzle  it  out  for 
myself  without  getting  a  headache.  I'm  not 
intellectual." 

"  That's  true.  You're  a  nice  little  man,  wee 
Hugh,  but  you  don't  always  have  the  gumption 
to  see  which  side  your  bread's  buttered.  Gen- 
eral, we're  interrupting  most  rudely.  I  suppose 
you  have  to  tell  us  now  that  Madame  Delicia 
went  about  very  promptly  on  the  other  tack." 

"  She  has  not  been  used  to  reverses,"  the  Gen- 
eral said  drily,  "  and  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  she 
sat  down  quietly  under  that  one.  She  sent  me 
a  line,  and  I  saw  her  the  same  evening,  and  in 
two  hours'  time  the  Revolution  in  Sacaronduca 
had  been  schemed  and  started. 

"  '  If  you   can  get  the  men,'  she  said,  '  I  can 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     149 

raise  the  funds.  I  know  three  of  the  Holsteins 
well,  and  one  of  them  would  do  anything  for  me. 
Indeed  I  believe,  business  man  though  he  is,  the 
Baron  would  finance  us  without  any  promise  of 
concessions  at  all  if  I  made  a  point  of  it.  He  is 
wonderfully  fond  of  me.' 

"  '  I  can  imagine  that/  I  said.  '  But  some  peo- 
ple are  greedier  and  less  disinterested.  They 
think  more  of  themselves,  and  want  a  definite 
"  quid  pro  quo."  I  am  one  of  those  people.  I 
want  to  know,  Seflora,  what  I  personally  am  to 
expect  out  of  this  matter.' 

" '  Why  the  Presidency  of  Sacaronduca,  to  be 
sure.' 

"  A  very  good  thing  in  its  way,  but  I  am  more 
exorbitant  in  my  demands.  If  I  have  to  fill  the 
chair  alone,  I  do  not  care  to  try  for  it.  But  if 
you  will  consent  to  share  it  with  me,  then  you 
may  count  on  my  not  only  gaining  it,  but  making 
the  Presidency  a  thing  of  mark  which  all  the 
world  will  look  at.' 

"  '  Tall  words,  Don  Esteban.  You  will  have  to 
show  yourself  a  strong  man  if  you  are  to  make 
them  good.' 

"  '  There  is  only  one  thing  that  could  have 
made  me  speak  like  that,  and  that  is  the  idea  of 
seeing  you  as  my  wife,  and  winning  your  love, 
but  under  those  conditions  I  should  know  myself 
with  certainty  to  be  strong  enough  to  gain  any 
human  mark  you  wished  for.' 


150  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  '  That  is  what  I  like,'  she  said.  '  You  can  let 
me  see  you  are  confident,  and  that  you  are  a 
likely  man  to  force  success.  As  to  what  you  ask, 
that  depends  upon  yourself.  You  have  my 
admiration  now — and — Seflor,  nothing  beyond. 
What  they  call  my  love  you  may  win  if  you  can, 
and  I  tell  you  that  if  you  raise  yourself  to  be 
President  of  Sacaronduca,  and  make  her  cease  to 
be  a  petty  robber  state,  and  force  her  up  to  a 
niche  amongst  the  nations,  I  could  love  you  as 
few  men  have  been  loved  before.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  you  fail,  I  shall  get  a  hatred 
towards  you  which  will  leave  its  mark,  because, 
you  see,  I  shall  be  deeply  mixed  in  the  matter 
myself,  and  the  upsetting  of  any  of  my  own 
schemes  is  not  a  thing  which  I  ever  intend  to 
pass  over  lightly.' 

"  '  As  witness  the  matter  of  Maxillo.' 

"  '  Exactly.  He  is  a  case  in  point ;  the  only  one 
on  the  record  so  far.  You  see  I  am  telling  you 
plainly  beforehand  how  your  chances  lie,  so  that 
whatever  happens  you  cannot  blame  me  for  using 
you  badly  afterwards.' 

" '  Sefiora,  you  can  do  no  wrong.  Moreover, 
were  my  chance  eight  times  as  small,  I  would  try 
for  the  reward.  So  if  you  please,  we  will  consider 
the  attempt  a  settled  thing.'  And  after  that," 
the  General  concluded,  "  we  went  on  to  discuss 
the  sum  which  it  was  necessary  for  Holstein  to 
lay  down  to  properly  finance  the  revolution,  and 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     151 

to  decide  upon  what  concessions  Delicia  should 
dangle  before  their  eyes  to  make  them  inclined 
to  speculate.  Holsteins  really  held  the  key  to 
the  whole  situation.  If  Delicia  could  not  per- 
suade them  to  put  down  the  necessary  million  to 
float  us,  we  could  not  even  begin  to  fight." 

"  Speaking  as  a  business  man,"  said  Davis 
thoughtfully,  "  the  influence  which  Madame  Deli- 
cia brought  to  bear  must  have  been  tremendously 
great.  The  Holsteins  have  too  many  safe  invest- 
ments before  them  to  be  easily  persuaded  into 
embarking  in  such  a  risky  speculation  as  this 
must  have  appeared.  It  seems  marvellous  that 
Madame's  name  never  came  to  light  in  the  matter. 
But  perhaps  she  brought  the  business  about  from 
here  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  the  General,  "  she 
caught  the  Southampton  steamer  at  Los  Angeles 
a  week  after  our  compact,  and  did  the  work  in 
person  in  the  middle  of  a  London  season.  Max- 
illo  sent  word  to  the  Sacaronduca  Embassy  in 
town  to  watch  her  movements ;  and  they  did  it  care- 
fully ;  and  sent  him  a  dozen  cuttings  from  the 
papers,  which  stated  that  she  was  quite  the  most 
popular  person  of  the  season,  and  that  in  the  near 
future  she  would  certainly  become  Baroness  Hoi- 
stein.  I  know  for  a  fact  that  the  man  proposed 
to  her ;  and  I  know  also  that  she  warned  him 
openly  before  he  did  it  that  she  would  not  marry 
him,  because  (she  was  good  enough  to  say)  she 


152  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

was  engaged  already ;  yet  in  spite  of  that  she 
brought  her  business  off  successfully.  She  got 
the  final  promise  during  a  royal  ball  after  dancing 
with  the  Baron  for  half  the  evening." 

"  After  which  she  returned  to  Sacaronduca  ?  " 
"  Not  at  all.  She  stayed  on,  and  enjoyed  herself, 
and  was  taken  into  the  Marlborough  House  set. 
She  had  promised  Maxillo,  if  you  remember,  to 
provide  a  complete  set  of  movements  for  his  in- 
spection, and  I  think  that  she  did  it  pretty  com- 
pletely. No  one  would  have  guessed  that  the 
woman  who  was  dazzling  London  with  her  charms 
and  brilliancy  could  be  plotting  revolution  in  an 
obscure  Central  American  Republic.  The  only 
person  to  connect  her  with  Sacaronduca  was 
myself ;  and  I  kept  out  of  the  way.  I  was  nom- 
inally in  England  to  procure  quartz-crushing 
stamps  for  a  gold  mine  on  my  own  estate,  and  we 
had  communication  together  twice  only  during 
the  whole  time.  Once  she  wrote  to  say  that  the 
night  before  she  had  secured  Baron  Holstein's 
promise  of  aid ;  and  once  I  met  her  in  person. 
You  fellows  will  remember  the  date.  It  was  the 
evening  of  the  day  when  you  signed  your  con- 
tracts  in  the  Metropole  to  serve  me  and  the 
Republic." 

"  Her  work  was  done  in  England  then  ;  and  be- 
cause the  London  season  was  at  an  end,  she  had 
a  good  excuse  for  going  away.  She  sailed  for 
Los  Angeles  within  a  week  of  your  setting  out 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     153 

to  find  recruits,  and  then  began  a  time  for  her  of 
infinitely  more  personal  danger  than  any  awkward 
minutes  we  men  may  have  gone  through.  She 
was  forwarding  the  cause  in  Sacaronduca  itself ; 
gaining  adherents  in  the  very  heart  of  the  enemy's 
country;  with  the  fine  foreknowledge  that  if  any 
one  betrayed  her  (as  was  almost  certain  to  hap- 
pen amongst  so  many  confidants)  she  would 
promptly  be  killed  by  one  means  or  other.  Max- 
illo,  as  you  have  heard  for  yourselves,  had  a  strong 
notion  of  nipping  opposition  in  the  bud,  and  of 
doing  it  so  firmly  that  there  was  only  need  to  nip 
once. ' 

"  He  had  the  reputation  of  a  merciless  scoun- 
drel, even  in  Europe,"  said  Davis. 

"He  was  reported  to  act  very  much  like  a  Sac- 
aronducan/  said  Carew,  drily. 

"  Suspicion  came  out  of  the  man  like  his 
breath,"  continued  the  General.  "  He  knew  that 
he  was  hated,  and  felt  that  the  country  was  full 
of  unrest,  and  he  and  his  spies  were  peering  in 
every  direction  to  pitch  upon  the  leaders  of  the 
movement  against  him.  So  Delicia's  was  the 
most  dangerous  kind  of  part  to  play.  But  she 
went  through  with  it  steadily  and  cleverly,  and 
she  never  made  a  mistake.  She  posed  as  a  leader 
of  society  here  in  Dolores,  and  one  imagines  she 
must  have  found  it  more  exciting  than  receiving 
admiration  in  London.  It  is  not  every  woman 
who  has  the  nerve  to  give  a  series  of  balls  and 


154  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

dinners  with  always  the  consciousness  that  next 
moment  may  see  her  a  prisoner,  and  next  day  a 
dishonoured  corpse." 

Carew  hit  the  table  with  his  shut  hand.  "  No, 
by  God,"  he  cried.  "  She's  about  the  only  one  in 
the  world,  I  should  say.  I  know  if  I  had  found 
another,  I  should  be  a  married  man  this  minute." 

"  She  had  a  large  party  organised  before  we 
came  to  the  coast,  and  with  it  she  twice  saved  our 
expedition  from  destruction.  She  heard  that  the 
Clarindella  was  going  to  be  attacked  at  Tortuga 
Key.  She  sent  off  a  well-armed,  well-manned 
steamer,  and  you  know  what  took  place  in  that 
vicious  fight  amongst  the  sand-hills  in  the  darkness. 
She  heard  that  another  blow  was  to  be  struck  at 
the  vessel  which  was  collecting  our  recruits,  and 
although  she  could  not  save  the  ship  from  being 
torpedoed,  and  could  not  rescue  her  people  the 
day  they  came  ashore,  she  chartered  the  Silas 
Bloomer,  brought  her  to  the  place,  and  at  the 
same  time — partly  by  diplomacy,  partly  by  open 
fighting — contrived  that  the  guard  on  the  church 
should  be  taken  away.  As  you  know,  she  directed 
that  operation  herself." 

"  And  looked  prettier  at  the  back  of  a  mask 
than  most  women  I've  seen  in  front  of  one,"  said 
Coffin.  "  She'd  a  way  of  usin'  her  voice,  too,  that 
was  mighty  taking." 

"  By  a  marvel  of  dexterity  she  did  not  openly 
exhibit  her  partisanship,  but  it  seemed  almost 


POLITICS  AND  A  GOLD  RING     155 

impossible  that  the  matter  should  remain  hidden 
many  more  hours.  Yet  she  did  not  hesitate. 
With  consummate  daring  she  went  back  again  to 
Los  Angeles,  and  continued  there  her  work  for 
the  cause,  and,  as  you  know,  she  remained  in  the 
city  doing  her  utmost.  It  was  not  till  she  stood 
up  in  her  box  that  night  at  the  ball  in  the  opera- 
house,  and  spoke  of  her  adherence  aloud,  that  it 
was  openly  known  that  she  had  cut  herself  loose 
from  the  old  regime.  "You  saw  for  yourselves," 
the  General  concluded,  "  the  enthusiasm  she 
raised.  I  have  told  you  what  we  all  owe  to  her, 
and  I  ask  you,  outside  any  personal  feeling  to 
myself,  to  do  your  utmost  to  bring  her  back  to 
Dolores  unharmed." 

The  four  of  us  stood  up  with  a  simultaneous 
movement,  and  thrust  out  eager  right  hands.  It 
was  Davis  who  spoke,  and  he  did  it  with  his  usual 
stilted  earnestness.  We  usually  laughed  at  Davis, 
but  somehow  it  never  occurred  to  any  one  of  us 
to  raise  so  much  as  a  smile  then.  "  Sir,"  he  said, 
"  you  honour  us  by  asking  us  to  serve  such  a  lady. 
If  by  laying  down  my  life  I  could  save  her  from 
any  serious  harm,  I  should  feel  rewarded  by  the 
opportunity." 

"  That's  about  the  size  of  it,"  said  Carew,  "  but 
it  strikes  me  the  first  matter  to  find  out  is,  where 
has  she  got  to  ?  Till  we  know  that  no  one  can 
say  what  has  been  done  to  her,  and  whether  she 
is  to  be  rescued  or  avenged.  Even  supposing 


156  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Maxillo  has  got  the  lady,  it  doesn't  follow  that 
he  has  ill-treated  her.  I  know  I  shouldn't,  under 
the  circumstances.  I  should  do  something  quite 
different." 

"  And  what's  that,  Billy  ?  "  Coffin  asked. 

"  Why,  marry  her,  of  course,  you  little  owl." 

The  General  started  violently.  "  My  God,"  he 
muttered,  "  I  never  thought  of  that !  " 

"  Doesn't  it  stand  to  reason  ?  "  Carew  went  on. 
"  With  all  due  deference  to  you,  General,  Madame 
Delicia  is  the  most  popular  person  in  Sacaronduca 
this  minute.  Three-quarters  of  the  people  idolise 
her,  and  if  the  balance  doesn't,  it's  because  they 
haven't  seen  her,  and  because  it's  an  attractive 
amusement  to  disagree  from  a  majority.  Maxillo 
is  no  damned  fool  to  bring  down  the  country  per- 
manently about  his  ears  for  the  sake  of  venting  a 
passing  spite. 

"  But,"  I  ventured,  "  Maxillo  refused  to  marry 
her  before." 

"  My  good  Birch,"  Carew  retorted,  "  he's  got  a 
fresh  inducement  now.  He  didn't  see  that 
Madame  was  of  any  particular  value  then  ;  he 
can't  avoid  putting  a  much  more  accurate  price 
on  her  now,  and  he's  far  too  commercial  a  man  to 
chuck  such  a  good  thing  away.  I'd  bet  heavily 
she's  ceased  to  be  a  widow,  even  by  now.  Only 
thing  is,  if  you  catch  old  Maxillo,  you  can  very 
quickly  put  her  into  complimentary  mourning 
again." 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES 

IT  was  in  the  evening  of  this  very  day  that 
accurate  news  first  came  to  us  concerning  the  ad- 
verse influence  which  on  two  occasions  had  so 
industriously  tried  to  wreck  our  enterprise.  It 
arrived  in  the  shape  of  a  cablegram  from  Hoi- 
steins',  in  London,  and  it  was  handed  in  to  me  as  I 
was  smoking  "  en  tete-a-tete  "  with  Carew  in  my 
quarters. 

"  We  learn,"  it  ran,  "  on  undeniable  authority, 
that  the  active  agent  of  our  opponents  in  Sacar- 
onduca  is  Sir  William  Carew." 

That  was  all.  And  enough  too.  Without 
knowing  it,  my  face  must  have  shown  the  shock 
it  gave  me,  and  Carew's  nerves,  iron  though  they 
were,  had  been  too  much  on  the  strain  for  the  last 
month  to  let  him  pass  over  the  sign. 

"  That's  about  me,"  he  said,  coolly  enough. 

I  nodded. 

"You  may  as  well  let  me  see  it." 

I  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  handed  the 
flimsy  paper  across  to  him. 

"  Well,  Birch,"  he  said,  "  it' s  a  marvel  to  me 
how  the  thing's  been  kept  dark  so  long.  But, 


158  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

still,  I'd  give  something  to  know  how  it's  come 
out  at  last.  Is  this  all  you've  heard?  " 

"Do  you  think,"  I  retorted,  "that  if  we'd  got 
wind  of  the  matter  before  you'd  be  here  now  ?  " 

"  No,  that's  right  enough.  There's  nothing  soft 
about  Briggs.  He'd  have  shot  me  within  the 
hour.  Quite  the  proper  thing  for  him  to  do.  By 
the  way,  how  do  you  propose  to  act,  old  man  ?  " 

"  The  only  thing,"  I  answered  stiffly,  "  that  I 
can  do  on  my  own  responsibility  is  to  arrest  you 
at  once."  I  got  up  and  walked  towards  the  bell. 
"  And  if  you  want  my  private  opinion,  you're  a 
damned  scoundrel.  So  you  may  put  that  in  your 
pipe  and  smoke  it." 

"  Halt,  there.  I  say,  Birch,  bring-to  ;  I'm  cov- 
ering you.  If  you  move  off  the  puma  skin  you're 
on  now,  I'll  shoot  you  dead." 

I  turned  smartly  round.  The  man's  hand  was 
gripped  on  a  small-bored  revolver,  and  his  wrist 
was  steadied  on  the  mouth  of  the  decanter.  The 
muzzle  of  the  weapon  seemed  to  grow  into  a  great 
black  ring  hanging  in  the  air.  I  saw  that,  and 
one  brown  eye  which  glittered  above  it.  And 
above  all  things,  I  remembered  what  manner  of 
man  Carew  was.  I  take  to  myself  no  shame  in 
owning  that  I  stopped  smartly  and  stood  there 
facing  him  on  the  mottled  skin.  No  man  but  a 
fool  chucks  away  his  life  without  scoring. 

"  If  you'll  give  me  your  word  of  honour  not  to 
ring  that  bell,"  he  said,  quietly,  "  or  raise  any 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  159 

alarm  till  I  give  you  leave,  you  may  come  back 
to  your  seat." 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  and  went  across  the  room 
again,  and  threw  myself  into  the  long  cane  chair. 

Carew  helped  himself  to  a  small  tot  of  whisky, 
and  "  Will  you  split  a  soda?"  he  asked. 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  I  will  not.  I've  told  you  what 
kind  of  man  I  consider  you,  and  I  don't  drink 
with  that  sort." 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  coolly,  "  suit  yourself. 
I  don't  suppose  I  shall  ask  you  again  for  some 
time,  because  after  this  it  may  be  healthier  forme 
to  clear  out  for  a  while.  Not  that  your  small 
'  coup '  makes  any  special  alteration  in  my  plans, 
because,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  going  some  time 
this  week  anyway." 

I  stared.     "  What  for,  pray  ?  " 

"  Because,  my  good  Birch,  this  game  here  is  an 
unwholesome  fraud.  A  man  can't  so  much  as  pay 
expenses  out  of  it.  I  told  Briggs  in  the  first  in- 
stance exactly  what  I  was  after  ;  that  I  came  to 
him  solely  for  the  sake  of  loot,  and  nothing  else, 
and  when  I  tried  to  pin  him  to  definite  promises 
he  promptly  got  vague.  So  I  looked  round  to 
see  if  there  wasn't  a  more  promising  opening 
elsewhere — and — I  found  it.  I  was  offered  a 
fixed  sum  to  upset  him." 

"  Then  don't  you  consider  yourself,"  I  asked 
acidly,  "  a  bit  of  a  cur  for  coming  with  us  ?  " 

He  answered  with  perfect  good  humour.    "  Not 


160  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

a  bit.  Isn't  it  Briggs's  own  maxim  that  all  is  fair 
in  war  ?  And  haven't  I  all  my  life  been  fighting 
one  continuous  desperate  scrimmage  against  pov- 
erty ?  My  good  chap,  it  is  a  written  thing  that 
I  must  get  rich,  or  at  least  comfortably  off,  and  if 
anything  or  anybody  gets  in  the  way  the  course 
has  got  to  be  cleared  somehow.  Honour  is  a 
very  fine  thing,  and  friends  are  a  luxurious  pos- 
session ;  but  a  poor  man  who  has  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  poor  no  longer  has  to  tread  on  them 
both  when  they  get  in  his  way." 

"  That's  all  very  well,  but  what  will  you  do 
with  wealth  even  if  you  get  it  now  ?  Can't  you 
see  that  you've  dirtied  your  ticket  eternally  ?  " 

"In  England?" 

"  All  the  world  over." 

"  Not  in  England,  any  way.  What  do  they 
know  about  Sacaronduca  at  home  ?  Two  per- 
sons in  twenty  may  remember  that  it  is  in  Cen- 
tral America,  and  the  balance  have  never  heard  of 
its  existence.  When  I  get  back  with  my  pile 
some  fool  will  probably  write  to  the  papers  say- 
ing how  I  raised  it,  and  after  that  (as  I  shan't  call 
attention  to  the  letter  by  contradicting  it)  the 
thing  will  die  out  for  good.  No,  Birch,  one  dollar 
out  of  this  delightful  country  is  quite  as  good  as 
any  other  dollar." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen.  But  I  might  re- 
mind you  that  you  haven't  earned  your  loot  yet, 
and  you're  not  at  home  to  enjoy  it.  To  begin 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  161 

with,  you  have  still  to  get  out  of  Dolores,  and 
even  if  you  do  contrive  to  slip  away,  you'll  find 
a  very  tolerably  warm  hunt  clamouring  on  your 
heels.  And  after  that  you've  got  to  upset  Briggs 
before  you  can  earn  your  dividends.  If  you  ask 
me,  your  outlook  is  pretty  sick.  You've  no  re- 
sources at  the  back  of  you." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  what  of  that  ?  Didn't  I 
nearly  upset  your  apple-cart  twice  before,  and 
what  resources  had  I  then  ?  " 

"  I'd  like  to  hear  that." 

Carew  grinned.  "  I  daresay  you  would."  He 
looked  at  his  watch.  "Twenty  minutes  past  mid- 
night. Well,  as  I  don't  intend  to  shift  out  of  this 
till  after  one,  perhaps,  it  would  be  a  charity  to 
relieve  some  of  your  curiosity.  So  I'll  tell  you 
how  the  job  was  done.  I  made  dazzling  big 
promises  in  actual  figures,  and  showed  needy  men 
how  they  might  become  rich  in  one  dash  if  they 
didn't  get  killed  in  the  process.  Of  course  I  used 
gumption  in  broaching  the  question  to  them  ; 
didn't  pick  out  the  saintliest  specimens,  you  un- 
derstand ;  and  I  didn't  have  one  solitary  refusal. 
I  could  have  got  six  times  what  I  asked  for.  The 
first  go  off  was  a  fizzle,  thanks  to  that  confound- 
edly smart  young  woman  Delicia.  I'd  have 
grabbed  your  utensils  of  war  on  the  White  Tor- 
tuga  for  an  absolute  certainty  if  she  hadn't  put 
her  spoke  in  ;  and  as  it  was,  I  left  most  of  my 

beauties  behind." 
ii 


162  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  Dead.    Yes,  we  saw  them." 

"  They  are  quieter  than  wounded,"  he  said 
significantly,  and  then  paused  and  stopped.  "  It 
wouldn't  have  done  to  leave  behind  anyone  who 
could  talk,"  he  added,  and  stopped  again. 

"  So  you  cut  their  throats,  did  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  My  good  Birch,  don't  dwell  on  the  gruesome 
side  of  things.  Why  shouldn't  all  the  wounded 
have  been  carried  off  in  the  naphtha  launch  ?  " 

"  We  burnt  a  flare  as  she  went  by,  and  you 
didn't  seem  to  have  a  superabundant  crew  of  either 
hale  or  halt.  Moreover  they  appeared  to  have 
had  enough  fighting  for  the  night.  That  was  you 
steering,  I  suppose  ?  We  saw  you  try  to  run  us 
aboard,  and  we  saw  them  sit  on  you.  Certainly 
you  seemed  furious  enough  at  the  time,  but  I 
suppose  you  understand  now  that  they  saved 
your  life?" 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  suppose  I  was 
in  a  tolerable  passion  at  the  time.  Who  wouldn't 
have  been,  to  see  such  a  dainty  scheme  so  com- 
pletely split  ?  Man,  I  wouldn't  have  sold  my 
chances  when  we  first  landed  on  that  Key  for 
.£200,000.  A  kick-out  of  that  description  would 
shove  an  archbishop  off  his  balance.  But  if  those 
fellows  had  backed  me  up,  instead  of  sitting  on 
my  chest,  there's  no  saying  we  wouldn't  have 
done  the  trick  even  then.  Guns  miss  even  with 
good  men  behind  them  instead  of  tarry  old  sail- 
ors ;  and  when  a  handful  of  men  are  as  fighting 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  163 

mad  as  we  were  then,  they're  generally  good  to 
tackle  and  beat  five  times  their  own  weight.  Yes, 
looking  back  at  the  matter  dispassionately  from 
here,  I  should  say  the  odds  on  that  event  if  it  had 
come  off  would  have  been  very  nearly  even.  But 
it  didn't,  and  so  a  good  many  men  lived  to  fight 
another  day."  He  lifted  his  tumbler,  looking  at 
it  against  the  light,  and  laughing  at  some  remem- 
brance. "  They  fought  another  day,  Birch,  and, 
according  to  you,  they  fought  devilish  well." 

"  Ho,"  I  said,  "  some  of  our  chaps,  were 
they  ?  " 

"  Ah,  now,"  said  he,  "  you're  wanting  to  know 
a  little  too  much.  I  was  annoved  with  those 

v 

men  at  the  time,  but  not  sufficiently  to  wish  them 
to  get  into  hot  water  now.  So  we'll  say  '  requies- 
cat.'  I  signed  them  off  their  articles  when  we  got 
away  from  the  White  Tortuga,  and  went  for  my 
next  bit  of  business  single-handed." 

"You  mean  blowing  up  Davis's  steamer?" 
"  Exactly.  I  knew  when  she  was  expected  at 
Santa  Clara,  and  I  was  there  the  day  before  with 
my  naphtha  launch.  There  was  no  time  to  get  a 
scientific  weapon.  But  I  contrived  to  rig  a  spar- 
torpedo  'alaRusse,'  and  then  went  out  and 
slapped  at  your  steamer  in  the  roads.  I  hadn't 
another  body  with  me.  I  didn't  want  a  second 
hand,  because  the  launch  was  absolutely  simple 
to  handle,  and  in  the  after-scramble  (because,  you 
see,  I  reckoned  upon  her  getting  smashed  up)  the 


164  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

fewer  men  there  were  squalling  about  in  the  water 
the  more  chance  I  had  of  getting  clear." 

"  By  Jove,"  I  said,  with  a  flash  of  admiration 
for  the  scoundrel  which  I  could  not  help,  "  you 
are  a  reckless  beggar.  Did  you  deliberately  go  to 
smash  your  naphtha  launch  up  with  the  steamer, 
and  leave  yourself  adrift  to  swim  ashore  through 
all  those  sharks  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  not  so  bad  as  that,"  he  said  with  a 
laugh.  "  I  had  a  dinghy  in  tow,  and  I  slipped  her 
painter  a  score  of  yards  from  the  steamer  so  that 
I  might  have  something  to  swim  to.  But  either 
I  lost  her  bearings  during  the  attack — and  I  tell 
you  the  excitement  was  pretty  brisk — or  else  she 
was  swamped  or  got  in  a  quick  drift  of  current ; 
which,  I  don't  know ;  but  I  swam  after  her  for  an 
hour  and  never  caught  so  much  as  her  loom.  It 
was  pretty  miserable  work ;  the  launch  had  lifted 
under  me  like  a  live  volcano,  and  when  I  squelched 
down  again  into  the  sea  I'd  three  splinter-wounds 
and  a  disabled  left  .arm  ;  and  all  the  time  I'd  the 
horror  of  sharks  nibbling  at  my  knee-caps.  I'm 
sure  I  don't  know  how  I  got  ashore  ;  worried  along 
somehow,  I  suppose  ;  and  perhaps  the  sea  didn't 
want  me  ;  but  anyhow  I  was  bound  to  get  there. 
I  had  done  too  well  at  the  start  to  get  bowled 
over  at  the  finish." 

"  You  don't  suffer  from  lack  of  confidence,"  I 
said. 

"  If  I  did,"  he  retorted,  "  I  shouldn't  be  here 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  165 

now.  You  can  bet  on  that.  You  try  and  swim 
five  hours  in  a  heavy  sea  with  wounds  smarting 
all  over  you,  and  one  fin  out  of  action,  and  see 
how  you'll  like  it.  If  I  hadn't  been  so  cock-sure 
of  getting  through,  I  should  have  chucked  up  my 
hands  after  the  first  twenty  minutes.  But,  as  it 
was,  the  sea  spewed  me  up  on  the  beach  ;  and  a 
fisherman  Johnnie  overhauled  me  to  see  what 
plunder  hid  in  my  pockets  ;  and  under  his  maul- 
ing I  came  to  my  wits  again.  I  contrived  to  knock 
him  on  the  head  before  he  did  the  same  for  me, 
and  got  into  Santa  Clara." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  it  doesn't  appear  you  did 
much  good  to  yourself  there." 

He  frowned.  "You're  right.  I  didn't.  And  it, 
was  all  through  my  not  pushing  up  my  first  ad- 
vantage. I  ought  to  have  got  a  crew  of  men 
together  from  somewhere  and  taken  that  cathe- 
dral, where  the  fellows  were  fastened  up,  and  shot 
every  soul  in  it.  Then  the  whole  thing  would 
have  been  safe,  and  I  should  have  earned  my 
money.  But  I  liked  wee  Hugh,  and  I  liked  that 
queer  bounder  Davis,  and  I  was  squeamish  about 
personally  conducting  them  into  the  next  world. 
Besides,  I  fancied  the  Sacaronducan  troops  would 
do  the  job  for  me,  and  so  I  waited  on.  And  then 
up  came  Delicia,and  forced  the  game  so  suddenly 
that  I  couldn't  upset  her. 

"  First  and  last,  I've  split  with  that  clever 
young  woman,  Birch,  and  I'm  beginning  to  have 


166  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

a  very  big  admiration  for  her  skill.  She's  the 
strategy  of  two  generals  and  the  pluck  of  the  devil 
on  top  of  it.  By  gad,  if  only  I  could  have  col- 
lared her  at  the  commencement  of  the  whole  bus- 
iness and  tied  her  up  somewhere  where  she 
couldn't  meddle,  or,  better  still,  have  made  her 
back  me,  I'd  have  settled  all  Briggs's  hash  here 
in  Sacaronduca  in  a  dozen  hours." 

"  And,  as  it  is,  Briggs  has  settled  you,"  I  re* 
peated. 

"  You  can  say  that  when  you've  been  to  my 
funeral,  Mr.  Secretary  Birch,  not  before.  I  think 
Maxillo  is  my  best  card  now,  and  so  I'm  going  to 
try  him  next." 

"  He's  not  likely  to  deal  with  you." 

"  Why  not  ?  When  he  was  President  I  grant 
you  he  might  have  been  too  big  to  tackle.  But 
he's  in  retreat  now,  and  he'll  be  correspondingly 
humble.  I  shall  be  like  the  Assyrian,  Birch,  and 
comedown  some  night  like  a  wolf  on  Briggs's  fold 
when  I'm  least  expected,  and  upset  him  and  Hoi- 
steins,  and  earn  my  own  dividends  from  Holsteins' 
opponents." 

"  By  the  way,"  I  asked,  "  who  are  these  oppo- 
nents of  Holsteins?" 

"  My  employers,"  he  said  drily ;  "  Israelites  of 
the  city  of  London,  and  very  good  paymasters." 

"  Whom  I  suppose  you'd  betray  for  a  consider- 
ation." 

"  Any  way,  your  pocket  isn't  deep  enough  to 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  167 

buy  me  off,  nor  is  Briggs's.  Don't  get  nasty, 
Birch." 

"  Oh,"  I  said,  "  you  can't  expect  me  to  be  civil 
now.  I'm  not  squeamish,  but  you  go  too  far. 
You  aren't  fit  for  any  decent  man  to  touch  except 
with  an  execution  axe." 

"  You  seem  to  carry  your  resentment  pretty 
far." 

"  I'm  ashamed  of  ever  having  liked  you.  It 
makes  me  ill  to  feel  that  I'm  sitting  this  moment 
in  the  same  room  with  you." 

Sir  William  Carew  leaned  across  the  table,  and 
gave  me  a  queer  look.  "  That'll  do,  Birch,"  he 
said.  "  I've  taken  more  words  from  you  already 
than  I've  ever  accepted  from  any  man  alive,  but 
now  you've  gone  a  bit  too  far.  Do  you  feel  inclined 
to  apologise  ?  " 

"  Not  I.  I'll  stick  to  all  I've  said,  and  say  more 
if  you  want  it." 

"  Then  we'll  just  have  to  see  which  can  shoot 
best." 

"  That's  as  good  as  murdering  me.  You're  a 
crack  shot ;  I'm  a  duffer." 

"  You  should  have  thought  of  that  before  you 
allowed  yourself  the  luxury  of  insulting  me." 

"  Oh,  don't  make  any  mistake.  I  wasn't  trying 
to  back  out  of  it.  A  duel  with  you  will  suit  me 
down  to  the  ground.  You  dirty  the  earth  by 
treading  on  it,  and  I  shall  be  doing  mankind  a 
service  by  clearing  you  out  of  the  way." 


168  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  , 

"  Of  course,  you're  sore  at  what's  happened, 
because  I  know  as  well  as  you  do  Briggs  will  visit 
his  displeasure  at  what's  happened  on  your  shoul- 
ders. You  were  the  first  here  to  learn  that  I  was 
spoiling  his  game,  and  you  ought  to  have  killed 
me  or  taken  me  prisoner.  Of  course,  you  hadn't 
the  least  chance  of  doing  either,  but  Briggs  won't 
count  that.  You  didn't  do  it ;  you  didn't  arrest 
me  in  any  way  whatever ;  and  Briggs  will  deal 
with  you  on  the  result." 

"If  you  want  me  to  state  at  greater  length  what 
I  think  of  you " 

He  hit  the  table. 

"  Have  done  with  it,"  he  said,  "  or  I'll  shoot 
you  where  you  sit.  I'm  one  of  the  least  patient 
men  in  the  world,  and  you  may  be  flattered  that 
I've  listened  to  so  much  of  your  tongue  already. 
But  as  I  have  injured  you  to  a  certain  extent, 
I'll  give  you  a  gentleman's  reparation.  You  may 
shoot  me  if  you  can,  and  I'll  handicap  my 
powers  by  holding  my  pistol  in  my  left  hand. 
Now  don't  give  me  any  more  abuse.  Does  that 
suit  you  ?  " 

I  bowed. 

Carew  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Then  we'll  go  now.  Once  out  of  ear-shot 
from  the  city  limits,  I  shall  be  at  your  disposal,  and 
I  must  ask  you  to  give  me  your  word  of  honour 
not  to  let  a  soul  know  by  word  or  gesture  what 


THE  OTHER  OF  THE  INFLUENCES  169 

has  happened  until  then.  Afterwards,  if  you  don't 
happen  to  get  shot,  you  may  do  as  you  like." 

I  gritted  my  teeth.  He  seemed  to  have  got  me 
in  a  tidy  fix.  "  You  think  this  way,  you'll  get  me 
to  help  you  to  escape  ?  " 

"  My  good  Birch,"  he  said,  "  don't  be  childish. 
I  have  this  pistol  ready  to  my  hand  here,  and 
under  the  pistol's  persuasion,  you've  done  as  I 
ordered  you  once  already.  If  I  hadn't  held  you 
covered,  wouldn't  you  have  rung  that  bell  when 
you  read  the  telegram  ?  " 

"  Curse  you,  yes." 

"  Precisely.  Now,  if  I  had  to  leave  you  here, 
it  would  be  in  that  condition  when  men  tell  no 
tales.  I  should  owe  the  precaution  to  my  own 
personal  safety.  There's  nothing  to  tie  you  up 
with,  and  if  there  were,  tied  men  sometimes  get 
untied  by  interfering  servants.  If  you're  foolish, 
you'll  put  me  to  a  very  unpleasant  necessity  ;  if 
you're  a  wise  man,  you'll  give  me  your  parole." 

"  You  seem  willing  to  trust  to  my  word  of 
honour.  I  tell  you  frankly,  I  wouldn't  give  a 
straw  for  your  own." 

He  stamped  to  his  feet,  and  flung  the  contents 
of  his  tumbler  across  the  table  into  my  face. 

"  There,"  he  said,  "  you've  earned  that  very 
thoroughly.  I've  stood  enough  of  your  beastly 
insults.  Now,  then,  which  is  it  to  be  ?  "  He  lifted 
his  revolver.  "  Will  you  have  a  bullet,  or  give  me 
the  parole  I  ask  for  ?  " 


i;o  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

I  wiped  my  face,  and  stood  up.  "  Oh,"  I  said, 
"  I'll  come  with  you.  I've  got  to  shoot  you  some- 
how." 

And  with  this  grudging  promise  he  seemed 
quite  satisfied.  He  put  up  the  pistol  into  the 
holster  on  his  belt,  put  on  his  forage  cap,  took  up 
his  gloves  and  whip,  and  stood  ready  to  go. 

"  I  shall  be  pleased  to  follow  you,"  I  said. 

"  We  shall  want  horses,"  he  answered.  "  Will 
you  lead  the  way  to  the  stables  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XIII 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT 

WE  did  not  ring  for  orderlies.  We  went  to  the 
stables  and  saddled  the  horses  ourselves,  and 
rode  out  of  the  courtyard  without,  I  believe, 
anybody  noticing  us. 

The  streets  were  lit  and  deserted,  and  the 
houses  were  dark.  The  new  President  did  not 
encourage  wandering  about  after  nightfall  in 
Dolores,  and  he  frowned  upon  evening  parties 
for  the  present.  He  knew  that  revolutionary 
schemes  were  hatched  for  the  most  part  during 
evening  hours,  and  for  the  present  at  any  rate 
he  did  not  choose  to  be  embarrassed  by  an  active 
opposition. 

Twice  we  met  street  patrols  who  recognised 
Carew  and  myself,  and  let  us  pass ;  and  then  we 
came  to  the  Nicaragua  Gate,  and  the  guard  let 
us  through  without  the  least  demur.  Sir  Will- 
iam Carew's  escape  could  not  have  been  made 
easier.  And  so  there  we  were,  outside  the 
capital ;  and  I,  the  only  responsible  being  in  Sac- 
aronduca  who  knew  of  the  fellow's  colossal 
treachery,  had  helped  him  successfully  to  avoid 
the  just  consequences.  It  is  true  I  was  in  a 

171 


172  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

manner  forced  into  doing  this,  but  that  did  not 
make  me  any  the  more  pleased  with  the  result. 

We  had  a  good  long  ride  in  front  of  us  before 
we  came  to  a  piece  of  quiet  ground,  for  that  side 
of  the  city  is  well  fringed  with  the  villas,  and 
bungalows,  and  country  houses  of  the  better-off 
people,  who  prefer  the  sweet  open  air  of  the  plains 
to  the  somewhat  dubious  scents  of  Dolores.  A 
cable  tramway  ran  down  the  first  two  miles  of 
the  road,  with  double  avenues  of  palms  shading 
the  sidewalks  on  either  side,  and  we  trotted 
along  together  on  the  right-hand  flank  of  the 
metals,  to  all  appearance  the  most  amicable  pair  of 
gentlemen  who  ever  took  an  early  morning  con- 
stitutional. 

After  villadom,  came  larger  estates  and  farms, 
and  after  the  farms  came  a  broad  quaking  belt  of 
marsh  full  of  black  pools  and  waving  reeds,  and 
uneasy  with  night  fowl  and  alligators.  The  stars 
hung  in  the  night  above  us,  the  fireflies  danced 
over  the  sour  morasses  at  our  sides,  and  the  road 
swung  under  the  beat  of  the  horses'  hoofs  as  a 
ferry  swings  on  a  river.  A  close  moist  heat  ex- 
haled from  the  place. 

In  the  middle  of  this  belt  of  quagmire  Carew 
pulled  up  his  horse.  "  This  would  suit  us,  I 
should  say,  Birch,"  he  remarked.  "After  I've 
shot  you  I  can  tip  you  over  the  edge  of  the  cause- 
way, and  you'll  be  neatly  and  inexpensively 
buried." 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT     173 

"  Quite  so,"  said  I,  "  but  it  happens  that  I  in- 
tend to  shoot  you  if  it  can  be  managed,  and  it 
wouldn't  suit  me  at  all  to  chuck  you  to  the  alli- 
gators after  the  event.  I  should  want  to  take 
your  carcase  back  to  Dolores  as  a  guarantee  of 
good  faith." 

"  And  stick  my  head  on  a  spike  at  the  top  of 
the  Nicaragua  Gate?  Rather  out  of  date  that 
sort  of  thing,  isn't  it?  However,  we  can  put  the 
horses  on  one  side  and  blaze  at  one  another  up 
and  down  the  road,  and  then  the  man  who  drops 
will  be  lying  on  dry  ground  for  the  other  to  deal 
with  as  he  sees  fit.  There's  another  thing  I 
might  call  your  attention  to.  It's  just  possible 
that  the  man  who  remains  alive  may  be  wounded, 
and  if  he  is  I'll  bet  a  lot  he  finds  the  water  pre- 
cious handy  and  comforting.  I've  been  wounded 
myself  more  than  once,  and  I  know  what  thirst 
is." 

I  was  quite  prepared  for  the  possibility  of  be- 
ing shot  dead,  but  in  the  blaze  of  my  anger 
against  Carew  the  idea  of  being  wounded  had  not 
come  to  me  before ;  and  I  confess  that  when  the 
scoundrel  mentioned  it  I  was  conscious  of  an  un- 
pleasant chill.  It  is  not  desirable  to  be  wounded 
at  any  time ;  and  here,  if  the  survivor  of  the  duel 
was  badly  enough  hit  to  be  helpless,  he  might 
very  well  starve  to  death  before  he  was  interfered 
with.  Since  the  revolution  traffic  had  ended  with 
the  farms  at  the  Dolores  side  of  the  belt  of  marsh. 


174  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

The  country  beyond  was  for  the  most  part  wild, 
and  inhabited  only  by  miners,  hunters,  Indians, 
and  log  cutters,  who  were  either  still  loyal  to 
Maxillo's  rule,  or  were  too  indifferent  about 
politics  to  have  acknowledged  the  new  Govern- 
ment. It  was  overrun  by  bands  of  men  who 
called  themselves  guerillas  in  the  service  of  Max- 
illo  or  one  of  the  former  presidents,  but  who  were 
in  reality  mere  brutal-handed  brigands.  And  the 
belt  of  swamp  was  tacitly  looked  upon  as  neutral 
ground,  and  no  one  risked  a  gun-shot  by  cross- 
ing it. 

I  put  this  coldly  enough  to  Carew,  and  sug- 
gested that  we  should  go  back  a  mile  or  two. 
"  We  can  have  our  fight  there  quite  undisturbed, 
and  if  a  wounded  man  occurs,  he  will  get  some- 
body to  look  after  him.  It  seems  to  me  we  have 
come  too  far." 

"  And  it  seems  to  me  we  have  not  gone  far 
enough,"  he  retorted.  "  It  would  be  a  choice 
between  frying-pan  and  fire  for  me  back  where 
we  have  come  from,  because  all  Dolores  will 
know  by  to-morrow  morning  the  little  game  I 
have  been  playing,  and  Briggs  would  string  me 
up  on  sight  dead  or  sound  if  he  could  manage  it. 
On  ahead  I  grant  it  might  prove  an  unhealthy 
neighbourhood  for  you,  Birch,  but  at  the  same 
time  it  isn't  exactly  a  safe  harbour  of  refuge  for 
me.  Of  course,  there's  a  good  deal  to  be  said  in 
favour  of  both  views,  but  we  haven't  time  for 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT      175 

talk  now,  and  so  look  here.  I'll  toss  you  for 
which  it  is  to  be,  forward  or  back."  He  spun  a 
quarter,  and  clapped  it  down  on  the  knee  of  his 
riding-breeches.  "You  show  to  me." 

"  Mine's  a  head." 

He  uncovered  the  coin,  and  scraped  a  match  to 
show  it  me. 

"  A  tail,"  said  I.  "  I  don't  mind.  It's  lucky 
to  lose  at  the  beginning  of  a  game  :  it  improves 
my  chance  of  winning  later." 

Dawn  was  beginning  to  thin  down  the  horizon 
from  purple  into  grey  ;  the  stars  were  snuffing 
out ;  and  from  somewhere  in  the  marsh  a  curlew 
gave  a  scream  or  so  preparatory  to  beginning  the 
business  of  the  day.  The  road  swung  under  with 
us  as  we  cantered  on,  and  ahead  the  rim  of  the 
forest  began  to  show  up  like  the  line  of  a  low 
black  cliff.  Carew  drew  a  cigar  out  of  his  pocket, 
bit  the  end  off,  and  lit  it  dexterously  without 
slackening  speed. 

A  smoke  would  have  suited  me  very  well  also, 
but  my  horsemanship  is  of  a  more  elementary 
order,  and  I  did  not  choose  to  pull  up  to  get  a 
light. 

The  dawn  grew  as  we  went  on,  and  the  wall  of 
trees  began  to  show  feathery  crests  projecting 
from  its  cornice.  Soon  the  outer  paling  of  trunks 
made  itself  distinguishable,  and  then  we  could 
make  out  the  outlines  of  palmettos  and  the  other 
shrubs  which  made  up  the  undergrowth.  AncJ 


176  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

presently,  indeed,  we  were  off  the  quaking  marsh 
road,  and  out  of  the  dawn,  and  well  into  an  alley 
of  the  forest,  which  was  still  rilled  with  a  gloom 
of  night.  Here  it  was  that  I  made  a  halt. 
"Get  down,"  I  said.  "There's  a  glow  of  a  log- 
cutter's  fire  over  yonder  amongst  the  trees,  and 
assistance  will  come  from  there  to  the  man  who 
wants  it." 

"  But,  my  good  man,  it's  too  dark  to  shoot  one 
another  here.  We  should  only  waste  a  lot  of 
cartridges  and  kick  up  a  deal  of  unnecessary 
noise.  I've  got  pressing  business  on  ahead  ;  you 
might  just  as  well  ride  on  with  me  and  save 
time." 

"  I'll  stick  by  my  bargain.  It  was  to  be  either 
this  side  of  the  swamp  or  the  other,  and  you  won 
the  toss.  Here  we  are,  and  here  we  stay  till 
we've  had  it  out." 

"Well,  I  must  say  you're  deuced  unaccommo- 
dating," Carew  grumbled,  and  swung  a  leg  over 
the  neck  of  his  horse,  and  slid  to  the  ground. 
"  However,  I'm  not  going  to  beg  favours  of  you. 
I'll  just  tie  up  my  moke  and  take  a  bit  of  a  rest 
till  you're  pleased  to  be  ready." 

I  also  dismounted,  and  tied  my  horse's  reins  to 
an  overhanging  bough  and  sat  down  with  my 
back  against  a  mossy  stump.  I  pulled  out  a  pipe 
and  lit  it,  and  fell  to  wondering  whether  I  should 
ever  smoke  another.  It  was  an  eight-year-old 
briar,  and  just  then,  although  I  cleaned  it  out 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT      177 

three  or  four  times  with  a  grass,  it  persisted  in 
bubbling  like  a  kettle.  But  for  all  that,  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  found  a  smoke  more  luxurious.  But, 
then,  when  you  are  waiting  for  a  crack  shot  to 
blaze  at  you  the  commonest  things  of  former 
everyday  life  do  seem  to  come  to  you  in  a 
strangely  pleasant  guise. 

By  degrees  the  night  noises  of  the  forest,  the 
croaking  of  the  tree  toads,  the  rustle  of  jar-flies, 
and  the  talk  of  the  katydids  died  out ;  a  cold, 
raw  light  filtered  through  the  upper  tree  stems, 
and  the  jungle  of  undergrowth  crept  out  of  form- 
less gloom  into  familiar  shape.  I  was  not 
enjoying  the  wait  enough  to  want  it  prolonged 
unnecessarily.  Besides,  the  neighbourhood  was 
full  of  dangers  with  which  I  did  not  wish  to 
tamper.  So  I  shouted  across  to  Carew,  who  was 
sitting  down  some  twenty  yards  away,  that  I 
could  see  the  whites  of  his  eyes  distinctly. 

He  jumped  to  his  feet.  "Very  well,"  he  said, 
"  if  that's  the  case  it's  light  enough  for  us  to  get 
through  with  our  business." 

I  got  up  also,  unholstered  my  revolvers,  and 
put  a  cartridge  in  the  unloaded  chamber  in  which 
the  hammer  had  been  resting,  so  as  to  have  the 
entire  six  shots  ready  if  necessary.  "  You  can 
give  the  word  yourself,"  said  I.  "Sing  out  one, 
two,  three,  and  at  three  we  shoot.  We're  about 
right  for  distance  as  we  are." 

"  Move  away  to  the  right,  man,  against  those 

12 


1/8  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

palmettos.  You've  got  a  light  background 
behind  you  where  you  are  now.  I  don't  want  to 
take  an  unfair  advantage." 

"  Thanks,"  I  said.  "  You  can't  help  being  a 
gentleman  sometimes,  Carew.  It's  a  pity  you're 
such  a  horrid  blackguard  between  whiles." 

He  did  not  reply  in  words  to  this,  though  I 
did  see  the  ghost  of  a  grim  smile  wry  his  mouth. 
I  was  just  beginning  to  step  out  to  take  up  the 
ground  he  had  pointed  out  when  a  whistle  shrilled 
out  from  the  trees,  and  I  saw  a  couple  of  men 
break  violently  out  of  the  cover  behind  Carew. 
At  the  same  moment  a  noose  of  plaited  rawhide 
rope  dropped  over  my  head  and  shoulders,  was 
instantly  plucked  taut,  and  before  I  could  so 
much  as  struggle  I  was  heaved  over  thump  on  to 
my  back. 

Carew's  pistol  cracked,  and  I  heard  the  bullet 
whisp  past  my  head,  and  simultaneously  a  yell 
told  me  that  it  had  hit  one  of  the  men  who  were 
interfering  with  my  comfort.  And  then  for  an 
instant  I  caught  sight  of  Carew,  also  lassoed,  and 
struggling  like  a  wild  cat  in  the  toils. 

Now  it  sounds  funny  to  remember  afterwards 
that  I  should  give  a  thought  for  the  welfare  of 
this  scamp  who  not  ten  seconds  before  I  was  ar- 
ranging to  shoot ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  I  did 
empty  the  first  shot  out  of  my  pistol  on  his  behalf. 
The  noose  of  rawhide  had  pinned  me  above  the 
elbows,  I  had  my  forearm  and  wrists  free,  ancl  I 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT     179 

took  as  steady  a  shot  as  I  could  manage  from  that 
inconvenient  position  at  the  man  who  held  the 
hauling  part  of  Carew's  tether.  It  is  probably 
equally  funny  from  the  point  of  view  of  history 
to  remember  that  Carew  sang  out  "  Hold  up,  you 
d d  fool,  or  you'll  be  shooting  me  next." 

But  any  way  I  did  not  interfere  with  his  affairs 
any  more  just  then.  My  own  business  was  press- 
ing. I  squirmed  round  in  my  bonds  and  saw 
two  big,  ragged  men  pulling  in  hand  over  hand  on 
the  rope,  and  four  more  running  up  to  help  them 
as  quick  as  they  could  crash  through  the  under- 
growth. Naturally  I  did  my  best  to  make  things 
hot  for  all  the  crowd.  But  not  a  bit  could  I  ease 
the  noose  that  held  my  elbows  in  to  my  ribs, 
and  shooting  from  the  hips  spoiled  my  aim 
Altogether. 

I  did  contrive  to  touch  one  fellow,  and  he  let  a 
yelp  out  of  him  like  a  suddenly  kicked  dog,  but 
he  was  more  surprised  than  hurt,  and  the  next 
moment  he  was  taking  it  out  of  me  with  his  shut 
fists  in  fine  style.  However,  I  managed  to  get  my 
boot  toe  well  home  on  his  kneecap,  and  he  went 
to  grass  howling,  upon  which  the  others  effectu- 
ally sat  on  me  and  very  soon  had  me  tied  up  safe 
and  sound. 

Meanwhile  there  were  sounds  enough  to  tell  that 
Carew  was  making  it  monstrous  unpleasant  for  his 
visitors  at  the  other  side.  I  don't  know  a  man 
more  difficult  to  hold  at  close  quarters  than  Sir 


180  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

William  Carew.  Amongst  the  officers  of  the 
force,  if  anyone  ever  showed  off  a  trick  of  strength 
or  suppleness,  Carew  could  always  beat  him,  and, 
moreover,  the  man,  do  what  he  liked,  never  seemed 
to  get  out  of  condition.  He  was  slim  enough  in 
build,  but  his  muscles  were  iron,  and  for  agility  he 
was  like  a  monkey. 

He  was  a  man  who  made  a  practice  of  being  able 
to  shoot  straight  with  a  pistol  from  the  hip,  be- 
cause (pirate  as  he  was)  he  said  it  was  always  use- 
ful to  be  able  to  drop  a  man  with  your  hand  in 
your  jacket  pocket,  and  in  his  present  plight  the 
habit  came  handy  to  him.  He  was  pinned  to 
the  elbows  as  I  was;  the  fellows  were  yanking 
on  the  lasso  as  they  pulled  themselves  up  to  get 
to  hand  grips  with  him ;  but  in  spite  of  these 
disadvantages  he  contrived  to  bag  first  one  and 
then  the  other  before  he  had  finally  emptied  his 
revolver. 

Some  dozen  others  were  coming  up  for  his 
annoyance  as  fast  as  they  could  break  a  way 
through  the  trees,  and  if  he  could  have  got  to  the 
horses  I  believe  he  would  have  scraped  clean 
away,  but  as  it  was,  the  lasso  got  a  turn  round  one 
of  his  spurs,  and  tripped  him  heavily,  and  before 
he  could  scramble  to  his  feet  again  and  unbuckle 
the  spur — for  the  rawhide  had  jammed  into  a  hard 
knot  over  the  rowel — the  fellows  were  upon  him, 
and  had  him  on  the  ground  again  through  sheer 
weight  of  numbers. 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT     181 

Even  then,  however,  they  did  not  have  it  all 
their  own  way.  He  got  his  thumb  in  one  man's 
eye-socket,  and  the  fellow  jumped  back  and  ran 
away  squalling  and  half-blinded  for  life.  He 
diverted  a  knife  that  was  lunged  at  him  till  it  laid 
open  its  owner's  cheek.  He  followed  no  civilised 
rule  of  fighting.  He  raged  like  some  seaport  drab 
who  was  endowed  with  a  man's  skill  and  strength. 
He  hit,  he  bit,  he  kicked,  he  butted,  and  if  ever 
I  saw  a  fight  where  the  rule  was  "  all  in,"  that 
was  it. 

Fresh  men  kept  adding  themselves  to  the  mel£e, 
but  it  was  long  enough  before  they  could  hold 
him  permanently.  He  would  disappear  amongst 
a  regular  octopus  of  vengeful  arms  and  legs,  and 
then  there  would  be  screams  of  pain,  and  the  grip 
upon  him  would  loosen,  and  he  would  almost  get 
away.  But  never  did  he  quite  struggle  free. 
Some  dogged  fellow  would  always  hang  on  to  his 
heel,  or  his  coat,  or  his  waist,  or  something,  and 
hold  him  till  the  pack  dragged  him  down  again, 
and  then  the  furious  scuffle  would  be  fought  out 
afresh.  He  hurt  his  adversaries  often  enough,  to 
judge  by  their  screams  and  yells,  but  either  they 
did  not  do  him  any  serious  injury,  or  he  had  the 
stoicism  not  to  cry  out. 

But  fresh  forces  kept  gathering  against  him,  and 
the  end  was  inevitable.  One  man  may  right 
against  three  and  win ;  he  may  even  wrestle  with 
five  together  and  escape  ;  but  with  a  round  dozen 


182  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

against  him,  he  has  got  to  go  under  sooner  or  later, 
and  in  the  end  he  generally  gets  paid  back  for 
value  received.  An  arm  went  up  holding  a  re- 
volver, muzzle  end ;  the  weapon  descended  with 
heavy  good-will,  and  the  butt  end  hit  viciously  on 
the  back  of  Carew's  head.  The  stiffening  seemed 
to  go  out  of  him  ;  his  fighting  ended ;  and  though 
for  a  moment  he  was  held  upright  in  the  fiercely 
struggling  press,  when  this  loosened  for  a  moment, 
he  fell  limply  to  the  ground. 

He  seemed  to  lie  there  as  lifeless  as  an  empty 
meal  sack,  and  the  hunters  used  their  feet  to  him 
as  though  they  intended  to  make  things  sure 
by  trampling  out  any  little  spark  of  life  that 
remained. 

After  a  little  while,  however,  they  desisted  from 
this  pleasing  occupation,  and  set  to  work  count- 
ing up  the  cost  of  their  victory;  and  to  judge 
by  their  looks,  they  were  a  bit  sorry  for  the 
expense. 

There  were  four  men  killed  outright,  one  with 
a  broken  wrist,  two  with  smashed  ribs,  my  man 
with  a  fractured  kneecap,  Carew's  with  a  missing 
eye,  and  not  a  single  one  of  them  without  some 
lasting  token  of  our  esteem  and  embrace. 

They  were  pretty  angry  over  the  result,  and  not 
a  little  puzzled.  In  Sacaronduca  it  is  always  the 
custom  to  be  sensible,  and  surrender  at  once  if  you 
are  outnumbered.  And,  finally,  they  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  must  have  something  on  our 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT      183 

persons  that  was  thoroughly  well  worth  fighting 
for,  and  set  about  to  discover  what  this  something 
was,  with  system  and  industry. 

I'm  afraid  they  were  disappointed.  From  the 
total  of  our  pockets  they  collected  some  seventy- 
three  dollars  in  notes  and  silver,  a  lady's  watch 
from  Carew,  and  a  Waterbury  from  me,  a  couple 
of  pocket  knives,  a  button-hook,  some  smoking 
tackle,  and  a  scrap  of  lead  pencil.  One  of  them 
went  to  the  horses  and  cried  out  that  he  had  got 
a  find  ;  but  it  was  only  a  small  stone  bottle  of 
whisky  and  a  packet  of  cartridges  in  one  of  Carew's 
holsters. 

Finally,  as  the  search  did  not  instruct  them 
much,  a  fellow  without  ears,  who  seemed  to  be 
their  leader,  turned  to  me  for  an  explanation. 

"  We  came  out  here  to  fight  a  duel,"  I  said. 

"  Now,  look  here,  ladon,"  said  he,  "  if  you  don't 
speak  truth,  and  at  once,  I'll  stamp  your  face 
in." 

"You  may  stamp  till  you're  tired,"  said  I, 
"  but  you  can't  get  squarer  truth  than  that.  If  you 
want  to  do  an  act  of  courtesy,  put  the  pair  of  us 
up,  loan  us  our  weapons,  and  we'll  fight  it  out 
now." 

"Think  I'm  a  fool?"  said  the  earless  man. 
"  We  have  had  trouble  enough  with  you  already, 
and  tied  up  you'll  remain  till  you've  paid  your 
debts.  After  they're  squared  off  you'll  be  quiet 
enough." 


184  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  If  you  meddle  with  me,"  said  I,  "  you'll  have 
the  President  to  settle  with." 

"  Which  President  do  you  mean  ?  There  seem 
to  be  so  many." 

"  Don  Esteban  Puentos." 

"  Oh,  that  President,  is  it  ?  Well,  we  happen  to 
be  for  Maxillo,  if  we're  for  anybody,  and  to  show 
how  much  we  care  for  this  new  upstart,  I'll  tell 
you  what  we'll  do."  He  turned  round  to  the 
others.  "  We'll  send  the  pair  of  them  back, 
cooked.  That  one's  carrion  already.  But  this 
fellow  here  is  plump,  and  will  roast  nicely.  Quick, 
now.  Light  a  fire,  and  we'll  get  the  business  over. 
When  we  have  stopped  their  crowing  for  good 
we'll  send  what's  left  back  to  Dolores  as  a  hint 
that  this  side  of  the  swamp  isn't  a  healthy  dis- 
trict." 

"But  how?"  asked  somebody.  "It  will  be  a 
ticklish  job  going  near  Dolores  with  that  kind  of 
baked  meat.  We've  had  trouble  enough  over  the 
beggars  already." 

"  Simple  enough,"  said  the  earless  man.  "  We'll 
lash  them  on  the  backs  of  their  horses,  and  set 
them  on  the  road.  The  horses  will  go  back  to 
stables  fast  enough.  Here,  one  of  you,  throw  me 
a  couple  of  ropes  over  that  big  bough  of  the 
magnolia  yonder,  and  then  make  an  end  of  each 
rope  fast  to  their  heels.  The  rest  of  you  gather 
dry  wood.  No  green  stuff,  mind.  I'm  not  going 
to  have  them  smoked  and  stupefied.  They've 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  AN  EXIT     185 

earned  the  worst  we  can  do,  and,  by  God,  they 
shall  have  it." 

Nobody  raised  an  objecting  voice.  Indeed,  if 
facial  expression  meant  anything,  every  man  pres- 
ent was  cruelly  pleased  with  the  sentence,  and 
those  who  were  sound  enough  to  do  so  set  about 
collecting  wood  and  getting  the  ropes  rove  over 
the  bough  with  all  the  good-will  in  the  world. 

Personally  I  must  confess  then  to  a  feeling  of 
freezing  terror.  It  seemed  that  nothing  but  a 
miracle  could  prevent  my  getting  my  exit  from 
this  life  by  the  most  abominable  of  tortures,  and 
miracles  were  not  in  the  habit  of  coming  in  my 
way.  My  faith,  how  I  did  envy  Carew  then  as 
being  dead  already,  or,  at  any  rate,  senseless.  I 
hadn't  a  bit  of  hope  that  the  earless  man  or  any 
of  his  friends  would  go  back  on  their  decision. 
They  were  brigands  pure  and  simple,  had  lived  in 
touch  with  brigandage  all  their  lives,  and  had  prob- 
ably seen  this  same  punishment  of  roasting  to 
death  inflicted  before.  It  was  nothing  new  in 
Sacaronduca,  and  there  is  no  crueller  devil-in- 
man's-image  than  a  brigand  of  Sacaronduca. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

FATHER  JUPE 

YOU  who  read  this  memoir  will  probably  have 
learned  of  these  preparations  of  the  brigands  for 
our  discomfort  with  something  of  a  shudder;  we 
two  who  watched  them  with  such  supreme  per- 
sonal interest  felt  our  veins  full  of  icicles.  I  say 
we  two,  for  as  it  turned  out  afterwards  Carew 
was  in  full  possession  of  his  senses,  and  was  only 
simulating  unconsciousness  for  any  advantage 
which  might  accrue  therefrom. 

The  blow  from  the  pistol  butt  had  certainly 
stunned  him  for  the  moment,  but  the  shower  of 
kicks  seemed,  curiously  enough,  to  revivify  him  ; 
and  he  was  stoic  enough  not  to  express  his  pain. 
Indeed,  as  he  said  afterwards,  the  fellows  were  all 
shod  with  the  sandal  of  the  country,  and  if  you 
keep  your  body  limp  these  cannot  deal  out  any 
vast  hurt.  It  was  a  mortification  to  him  when 
they  lashed  his  wrists  and  heels,  even  as  they  had 
lashed  mine,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  he  should 
not  inconveniently  come  to  life  again  ;  but  he  had 
the  wit  to  make  no  further  resistance,  knowing  full 
well  that  he  could  not  escape  just  then,  and  hoping 

as  usual  all  things  from  the  future.     It  was  one 
186 


FATHER  JUPE  187 

of  the  mottos  of  Sir  William  Carew's  adventurous 
life  never  to  believe  he  was  going  to  die,  however 
black  the  momentary  outlook  might  be ;  and  by 
this  means  he  had  more  than  once  escaped  being 
killed  when  a  less  hopeful  man  would  have  thrown 
up  the  sponge. 

And  as  it  turned  out,  in  this  particular  instance 
a  respite  came.  The  thudding  of  a  horse  made 
itself  heard  as  it  galloped  down  the  forest  road, 
and  our  captors  picked  up  their  arms  and  slipped 
into  cover.  For  the  moment  we  two  intended 
victims  were  left,  with  our  heels  made  fast  to  the 
hauling  ropes,  and  the  pyre  already  "  in  situ  " 
under  the  tree.  Half  a  minute  could  see  us  hove 
up  with  our  heels  towards  the  branch  of  the  mag- 
nolia, and  our  faces  beginning  to  purple  and 
blister  over  the  bright  crackling  flames  ;  and  as 
any  other  fate,  however  dreadful  it  might  be, 
was  preferable  to  this  horror,  I  can  tell  you  we 
waited  the  oncoming  of  that  horseman  with  a 
very  paroxysm  of  anxiety.  Would  he  come  to 
interfere  ?  Would  he  pass  by  on  the  other  side, 
judiciously  non-interferent  ?  Or  would  he  halt 
awhile  and  idly  overlook  the  spectacle?  In  my 
horrid  suspense,  one  or  other  of  the  last  two 
alternatives  seemed  a  certainty.  I  had  been  long 
enough  in  Sacaronduca  to  understand  the  ways 
of  a  native.  It  was  considered  all  through  the 
country  vastly  impolite  to  interfere  with  another 
gentleman's  vengeance.  And  what  chance  could 


1 88  THE  FILIBUSTERS  ( 

make  this  newcomer  one  who  in  any  way  would 
be  interested  in  our  welfare? 

The  horseman  drew  near  with  intolerable  slow- 
ness. He  even  slackened  his  animal's  gait  to  a 
walk.  He  did  worse  ;  though  it  seemed  a  blas- 
phemy to  do  such  a  thing,  he  started  to  hum  a 
melody.  And  then  just  out  of  sight  of  us  he 
halted  to  roll  a  cigarette.  So  still  was  every- 
thing, so  feverishly  quickened  were  my  senses, 
that  I  could  even  hear  the  crinkling  of  the  paper 
as  it  crisped  between  his  ringers.  But  the  tree 
stems  of  the  dense  undergrowth  still  hid  him 
from  view,  and  my  eyes  glancing  upwards  caught 
sight  of  a  loathsome  turkey  buzzard — gallinaso, 
as  they  call  it  in  Sacaronduca— slowly  circling 
down  from  the  sky  in  anticipation  of  a  meal. 

The  omen  of  the  bird  sent  a  fresh  chill  through 
me.  I  had  been  long  enough  in  the  country  to 
have  imbibed  the  local  belief  that  the  gallinaso  is 
a  fowl  of  the  devil,  and  that  it  never  comes  down 
from  its  sentry-go  above  without  an  absolute  cer- 
tainty that  meat  will  be  spread  for  it. 

My  ears  caught  the  faint  splutter  of  a  sulphur 
match  as  the  unseen  man,  with  exasperating  slow- 
ness and  deliberation,  lighted  his  cigarette,  and 
then  came  a  cheerful  "  arree,"  and  the  renewed 
thudding  of  horse-hoofs  upon  the  soft  turf-cov- 
ered road.  A  moment  later  he  came  into  sight, 
saw  us  two  on  the  ground,  with  the  hauling 
ropes  over  the  magnolia  branch,  the  pile  of  fag- 


FATHER  JUPE  189 

gots,  and  the  four  dead  men  lying  under  the 
shadow  of  the  bushes  beyond  ;  and  he  pulled  up 
his  horse  and  gave  a  queer  surprised  lift  to  his 
eyebrows. 

His  head-gear  was  an  ancient  beaver  shovel- 
hat  ;  his  outer  dress  a  rusty  cassock  ;  and  beneath 
it  showed  a  well-darned  stocking  and  the  heel  of 
a  sturdy  shoe  projecting  out  of  a  box  stirrup.  He 
had  a  fine  seat  on  his  horse,  but  his  looks  as 
well  as  his  garb  quite  put  him  down  as  the 
ecclesiastic. 

Presently  the  brigands  began  to  come  one  by 
one  out  of  the  cover,  and  he  gave  each  one  a 
sharp  separate  look,  and  a  nod  of  dry  recognition. 

"  Ah,"  he  said  at  last,  "  and  is  Manuel  knocked 
over  ?  I  do  not  see  Manuel  here  on  his  legs,  and 
he  doesn't  appear  to  be  lying  on  the  ground 
yonder." 

"  He  was  here  a  minute  ago,"  said  someone. 
"  He  is  close  at  hand  if  your  Excellency  wishes." 

The  earless  man,  with  an  embarrassed  snarl, 
meant  I  suppose  to  be  an  easy  laugh,  swung  into 
sight  from  behind  the  trunk  of  the  white  flowered 
magnolia.  "  Eh,  Father  Jupe,"  said  he,  "  is  this 
you?" 

"  I  feel  sure  of  it  myself,"  said  the  priest. 

"We  did  not  expect  you,  Father." 

"  I  can  imagine  it,"  said  the  priest  with  increas- 
ing dryness.  "  So  you  have  been  dabbling  in  poli- 
tics again,  eh,  Manuel?  " 


190  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  You  know  I  was  always  for  Maxillo,  Father." 

"  Pardon,"  said  the  priest,  "  I  had  forgot.  I 
thought  you  were  always  for  el  presidente  Don 
Manuel.  But  then  these  trifles  do  slip  out  of  the 
memory.  And  your  visitors  here,  you  were  merely 
trying  to  give  them  a  little  scare,  I  suppose." 

"  Merely  that,"  said  the  earless  man. 

My  spirits  rose.  The  priest  had  evidently 
authority.  Here  indeed  was  a  rescuer  come  to 
us  as  by  a  miracle.  But  the  next  few  sentences 
damped  my  spirits  again  pretty  effectually. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  priest,  "  from  the  trouble  and 
preparations  you  seem  to  have  gone  through,  / 
feared  that  perhaps  you  were  going  to  waste  them. 
You  see,  Manuel,  I  have  known  your  angry  pas- 
sions run  away  with  your,  shall  we  say,  sense  of 
economy  before,  and  as  these  two  Englishmen 
appear  to  have  made  a  pretty  useful  fight  of  it,  I 
was  afraid  in  a  moment  of  indignation  you  were 
going  to  offer  them  up  to  the  manes  of  your  de- 
parted fellow-thieves." 

"  Father  Jupe,"  said  the  earless  man  with  a 
sudden  bristle  of  anger,  "  you  go  too  far.  We  are 
patriots." 

"  Patriots  with  appetites,  shall  we  say,  my  dear 
Manuel  ?  Your  commissariat  is  so  perpetually 
breaking  down  that  you  are  compelled  by  the 
barest  instincts  of  self-preservation  to  forage. 
Must  I  congratulate  you  over  your  last  coup  ? 
Judging  from  the  way  these  gentlemen  have  de- 


FATHER  JUPE  191 

fended  themselves  they  must  have  had  well-lined 
pockets?  " 

The  earless  man  with  a  little  tornado  of  disgust 
described  the  loot. 

"  How  exasperating  !  "  said  the  priest.  "  Well, 
amigo,  stay  you  here  and  gather  what  harvest  the 
road  offers,  and  I  will  ease  you  of  this  useless  lum- 
ber. I  know  how  unpleasant  it  is  to  have  this  sort 
of  prisoner  in  one's  camp.  They  carry  with  them 
such  objectionable  reminders." 

"  Carrajo  !  "  swore  the  earless  man.  "You  get 
on  too  fast,  Father."  He  pointed  to  the  dead 
men  ;  he  pointed  severally  to  the  wounded.  "You 
see  what  they  have  done  ?  They  must  stay  and 
pay  the  cost." 

The  priest  drew  a  long,  meditative  draught  at 
his  cigarette. 

"I  am  growing  old,  Manuel,"  he  said,  "and  I 
am  at  times — shall  we  say — a  trifle  hard  of  hear- 
ing. Once  or  twice  men  on  this  side  of  the  swamp 
have  defied  me,"  he  continued  dreamily,  "  and  so 
far  as  I  recollect,  things  did  not  seem  to  prosper 
with  them  afterwards.  I  might  even  go  so  far  as 
to  say  that  the  mortality  amongst  them  was  great, 
and — shall  we  say — sudden  ?  You  will  doubtless 
recall  instances,  amigo?" 

The  earless  man  shivered. 

"So,"  said  the  priest,  thoughtfully,  "you  must 
pardon  these  reminiscences,  Manuel.  They  are  a 
failing  of  old  age.  Let  me  see ;  before  I  made 


192  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

this  little  digression,  we  were  talking  about  these 
two  Englishmen,  was  it  not  ?  I  was  saying  that  I 
would  take  them  off  your  hands  for  purposes  of  my 
own ;  you  were  remarking — what  was  it  you  were 
remarking,  Manuel  ?  " 

"  They  have  got  to  pay  for  what  they  have 
done." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  certainly.  They  will  probably 
be  very  sorry  they  ever  came  to  Sacaronduca  at 
all  before  I  am  quit  of  them.  But,  in  the  mean- 
while, they  will  be  useful.  So  useful,  in  fact,  that 
I  am  sure  Maxillo,  in  return  for  your  kindness  in 
securing  their  presence " — he  weighed  out  his 
words  one  by  one — "  will  be  good  enough  to  over- 
look any  peccadilloes  you  or  your  friends  may 
have  committed  in  the  past." 

The  earless  man  still  looked  sullen,  but  his  com- 
panions brightened.  The  priest  was  offering  them 
a  free  pardon,  and  it  was  clear  even  to  us  foreign- 
ers that  he  was  a  man  with  power  to  be  as  good 
as  his  word.  The  bait  was  far  too  appetising  to 
resist  ;  the  consequences  of  refusal  were  evidently 
far  too  dangerous  to  risk,  and  it  was  plain  to  see 
from  their  faces  which  way  the  wind  blew.  As 
for  Master  Manuel,  he  was  openly  dispirited.  As 
a  brigand — or  a  guerilla,  as  I  suppose  he  would 
call  himself — he  was  a  chief ;  as  an  honest  man  he 
evidently  quite  foresaw  he  would  not  be  a  success, 
and  would  soon  inevitably  drift  into  brigandage 
again ;  and  there  he  would  be  once  more  at  the 


FATHER  JUPE  193 

bottom  of  the  ladder,  with  another  position  to 
gain.  It  was  a  cheerless  outlook,  but  acceptance 
was  forced  upon  him.  His  men  had  no  two  ways 
of  thinking  about  the  matter. 

"  If  you  could  find  me  some  little  appoint- 
ment? "  he  suggested. 

"  I  will  keep  my  eye  on  you,"  said  the  priest, 
"  when  you  have  turned  honest." 

"  It  is  not  every  appointment  that  would  suit. 
My  ears " 

"  I  have  a  nice  discrimination,"  said  the  priest. 

"  Bueno,"  said  the  man,  with  a  poor  attempt  at 
appetite.  "  Then,  my  children,  we  can  leave  the 
matter  safely  now  in  Father  Jupe's  hands.  But 
how  will  you  take  your  prisoners  to  Maxillo, 
Father?  It  would  be  rather  delicate  for  us  to 
move  out  of  the  woods  here  till  the  pardon  is 
formally  signed." 

"  Quite  so,"  said  the  priest.  "  If  we  did  chance 
to  come  across  any  troops  they  might  be  so  over- 
come with  joy  at  seeing  you  again  as  to  induce 
you  to  stop  with  them  before  I  could  get  in  my 
word." — He  looked  down  and  addressed  himself 
to  me  for  the  first  time. — "  I  am  afraid,  senor,  that 
under  the  circumstances  you  will  have  to  put  up 
with  my  poor  escort  alone.  Manuel,  I  will  trouble 
you  for  one  of  those  English  revolvers.  No, 
loaded  please.  Gracias.  But,  Seftor  Englishman, 
if  you  and  your  friend  (who  need  pretend  uncon- 
sciousness no  longer,  as  I  have  seen  him  peeping 
13 


I94  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

at  me  already),  if  you  and  your  friend  will  just 
honour  me  with  an  instant's  attention,  I  will  try 
and  give  you  a  little  confidence  in  my  small 
powers." 

He  fumbled  with  his  cassock,  produced  a 
quarter  dollar,  and  spun  it  in  the  air.  It  hung  for 
an  instant  in  the  blaze  of  sunshine,  and  then  was 
eclipsed  in  a  grey  blur  of  smoke,  and  when  it  was 
picked  up  again  by  one  of  the  brigands,  a  blue 
lead  splash  was  well  grained  into  its  texture. 

Carew  sat  up.  "  A  very  pretty  trick,  padre,"  he 
said.  "  I  shouldn't  care  to  stand  up  before  your 
gun  at  twenty  paces.  May  I  introduce  Mr.  Birch  ? 
My  name's  Carew." 

"  Charmed,  I'm  sure,"  said  the  priest. 

"And  talking  of  shooting,"  Carew  went  on, 
"  you're  a  man  of  the  world,  sir,  I  can  see,  and  the 
fact  is  Birch  and  I  had  a  little  affair,  to  settle  be- 
tween one  another,  which  has  been  delayed  over 
long  already.  Your  good  friends  here  chipped 
into  the  argument  just  as  we  were  commencing. 
If  you  could  just  spare  us  a  couple  of  minutes  we 
could  get  it  off  our  minds,  and  the  survivor,  I'm 
sure,  would  be  most  happy  to  go  on  further  with 
you." 

The  priest  rubbed  his  hands  together  and  shook 
his  head  benignly.  "  Mr.  Carew,"  he  said,  "  be- 
lieve me  I  am  most  sorry  to  interrupt  your  ami- 
able intentions,  but  you  see  before  all  things  I 
am  a  man  of  peace  ;  my  cloth  makes  me  so,  and, 


FATHER  JUPE  195 

in  short,  till  you  have  passed  beyond  my  care  I 
really  could  not  officially  countenance  any  such 
little  exercise  as  you  so  pleasantly  hint  at.  Of 
course,  afterwards,  as  an  amateur,  I  should  be 
delighted  to  look  on,  or,  perhaps,  if  you  cared  for 
it,  offer  a  little  professional  assistance." 

"  Oh,  all  right,"  said  Carew ;  "  I  quite  see. 
Thought  I'd  just  mention  it,  that's  all,  as  I  know 
Birch  is  a  busy  man,  and  his  time's  precious. 
Sorry,  Birch,  old  man  ;  our  little  account  will  have 
to  stand  over  for  the  present." 

The  priest  was  politeness  itself,  but  it  seemed 
that  he  was  not  inclined  to  carry  complaisance  too 
far.  The  horses  were  brought  up  and  our  legs 
were  untied.  We  were  hoisted  into  the  saddles, 
and  our  feet  made  fast  beneath  the  horses'  bellies 
with  a  thong  of  rawhide  ;  and  as  our  hands  were 
still  lashed  behind  our  backs,  the  bridles  were 
knotted  so  that  they  should  not  fall  and  get  en- 
tangled with  the  horses'  feet. 

The  priest  was  full  of  apologies  for  our  dis- 
comfort ;  talked  deprecatingly  about  the  disturbed 
state  of  the  country ;  and  in  fact  treated  us  to  so 
much  open  sardonic  hypocrisy  that  of  the  two  I 
think  I  almost  preferred  the  coarse,  brutal  insults 
of  the  man  without  the  ears ;  and  as  it  was,  being 
a  helpless  prisoner,  I  preserved  a  glum,  sulky 
silence.  Carew  was  different.  He  returned  pleas- 
antry for  pleasantry,  irony  for  irony  ;  in  fact,  I 
think  he  recognised  in  Father  Jupe  a  man  of  very 


196  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

much  his  own  kidney,  and  was  almost  disposed 
to  like  him — though  I  make  no  doubt  he  would 
have  shot  the  fellow  down  like  a  dog  if  a  chance 
had  been  given  him  and  he  thought  that  it  would 
have  suited  his  purpose. 

However,  Father  Jupe  was  very  well  able  to 
take  care  of  his  person.  He  trusted  the  brigands 
apparently  because  he  had  got  some  great  power 
over  them.  He  trusted  us  not  at  all.  He  rode 
at  the  tails  of  our  horses  with  his  reins  in  one 
hand  and  a  revolver  in  the  other,  and  whenever 
I  looked  over  my  shoulder  I  always  found  his 
eyes  instantly  upon  me. 

Our  ride  was  a  long  one.  The  brigands  escorted 
us  to  the  rim  of  the  forest  and  sent  their  farewell 
shouts  after  our  heels  ;  and  then  we  left  them  be- 
hind us  and  would  have  been  well  enough  content 
to  have  seen  their  faces  no  more.  Immediately 
before  us  lay  foot  hills,  part  in  some  sort  of  des- 
ultory cultivation,  such  as  an  agriculturist  can 
manage  who  has  to  hoe  the  ground  with  a  cocked 
rifle  in  his  spare  hand,  part  disfigured  by  the 
dumps  of  mines,  part  barren,  and  part  covered  with 
scrub  forests  of  ilexes  and  dye  woods  ;  and  beyond 
them  reared  up  the  great  huddle  of  the  Tolpec 
Mountains,  which  in  three  places  showed  white 
crests  close  beneath  the  burning  azure  of  heaven. 

"  By  Jove,"  said  Carew,  with  his  eyes  on  the 
distant  range,  "  what  an  ideal  place  for  a  robber's 
nest." 


FATHER  JUPE  197 

"  Ah  no,  sefior,"  said  the  priest  at  our  heels. 
"  President  Maxillo  lives  there." 

"  Well,  of  course,"  said  Carew,  "  one  could 
scarcely  call  him  a  robber  now,  since  Briggs  took 
Dolores.  His  opportunities  have  been  so  very 
much  curtailed." 

"  The  tide  ebbs  and  flows,  seftor,  and  presidents 
have  their  ups  and  downs.  Maxillo  will  be  up 
again  before  long." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder.     I've  come  to  help  him." 

"Yes,"  said  the  priest,  drily.  "I'm  bringing 
both  you  and  el  sefior  Birch." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that,"  said  Carew.  "  I 
mean  I  was  coming  out  to  help  him  when  I  left 
Dolores." 

"  I  thought  I  had  the  honour  of  hearing  that 
you  set  out  to  take  part  in  a  duel  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  But  that  was  only  an  incident  by 
tHe  way.  As  Birch  could  tell  you  if  he  chose,  I've 
made  Dolores  too  hot  to  hold  me.  It  was  to  my 
interest  to  try  and  upset  Briggs,  and  I've  been 
working  pretty  hard  to  that  end.  Somehow  or 
other  I've  got  dropped  on,  and  had  to  bolt.  If 
Briggs  caught  me  now  he'd  have  me  shot  on  sight ; 
and  so  I've  set  out  to  offer  myself  as  a  volunteer 
to  Maxillo." 

"  Sefior,"  said  the  priest,  "  let  me  call  your  at- 
tention to  the  scenery.  It  would  be  hard  to  find 
a  prettier  setting  to  a  fairy  tale." 

"  I  didn't  suppose  you  would  believe  me,"  said 


198  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Carew,  "  but  what  I've  been  telling  vow's  fact  for 
all  that,  as  you'll  probably  find  out  for  yourself 
before  long.  However,  I  don't  want  to  quarrel 
with  you,  padre.  But  for  your  kind  interference 
I'd  merely  be  grilled  meat  by  this  time." 

"  Don't  mention  it,  amigo,"  said  the  priest 
warmly.  "  I'm  always  glad  to  help  anyone  I  think 
will  be  of  use  to  me." 

With  these  amiable  pleasantries  Carew  and 
Father  Jupe  beguiled  the  way,  whilst  I  held  a 
glum  silence.  If  the  priest  had  rescued  us  from 
earless  Manuel  and  his  crew,  I  was  tolerably  con- 
fident he  had  not  done  it  from  any  humane  desire 
to  save  us  discomfort ;  he  wanted  to  make  use  of 
us  in  some  other  way ;  and  as  to  what  that  way 
would  be  I  had  unpleasant  qualms.  Maxillo  had 
not  got  any  nice  reputation  for  civility  to  his 
enemies ;  there  was  about  as  much  chivalry  in  the 
man  as  there  is  in  the  ordinary  half-bred  Indian  ; 
and  it  was  just  as  likely  we  had  escaped  one  set 
of  tortures  to  come  in  for  another  series  equally 
abominable.  He  had  managed  to  get  hold  of  a 
couple  of  our  poor  fellows  who  had  done  him  no 
particular  harm,  and  when,  as  I  rode,  I  remem- 
bered the  method  of  their  death,  my  teeth  got  on 
edge  till  I  thought  they  would  have  grated  them- 
selves into  splinters.  So  that  no  detail  of  the 
horror  should  be  lost,  it  had  chanced  that  I  my- 
self was  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  detachment 
which  found  their  poor  mutilated  bodies. 


FATHER  JUPE  199 

Presently,  however,  a  new  front  was  put  on  the 
situation.  We  had  got  up  over  the  hummocky 
foot  hills  by  that  time,  and  were  entering  the 
main  chain  of  the  mountains  by  a  narrow,  rocky 
defile,  where  the  road  was  little  more  than  a  tor- 
rent bed.  To  force  such  a  place  with  troops 
would  have  been  as  easy  as  climbing  to  the 
moon.  A  couple  of  decently  placed  machine 
guns  and  a  dozen  rifles  could  have  held  the  pass 
against  an  army.  And  probably  because  of  the 
absurdity  of  making  an  attack  there,  it  was  quite 
unguarded.  Except  for  the  clashing  of  small 
waterfalls,  and  the  moan  of  the  wind  amongst 
the  peaks,  there  was  not  a  sound  of  movement 
anywhere. 

"  Seftores,"  said  Father  Jupe,  "  there  are  parts 
of  Sacaronduca  which  have  been  under  various 
masters.  Dolores,  Los  Angeles,  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  country  are  at  present  in  the  grip 
of  that  very  clever  filibuster,  your  Don  Esteban 
Puentos.  But  these  mountains  here  have  never 
been  trespassed  upon.  As  far  back  as  records 
reach  they  have  been  in  the  hands  of  our  family. 
The  Spaniards  came,  but  they  never  conquered 
us,  never  even  attacked  us.  From  time  to  time 
we  took  unto  ourselves  Spanish  women,  and  the 
old  Indian  blood  was  revivified  by  the  new  strain  ; 
just  as  I  believe  in  England  your  countrymen  are 
bred  from  many  different  stocks.  But  such  as  we 
are,  we  have  endured,  and  if  through  the  course 


200  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

of  ages  we  have  not  always  held  our  grip  on  the 
lower  ground,  at  least  we  have  never  been  evicted 
from  the  mountains." 

"Are  they  worth  taking?"  asked  Carew. 
"  They  look  chilly  and  barren  enough.  Or  have 
you  mines  up  here  ?  " 

"  We  have  our  little  comforts,"  said  the  priest. 
"  For  instance,  we  have  amongst  us  a  lady  called 
Donna  Delicia." 

"  The  deuce  you  have  ? "  said  I  with  a  start. 
To  tell  the  truth  I  had  forgotten  all  about  her 
till  that  moment. 

"  You  will  perhaps  gratify  us  by  dancing  at  her 
wedding,"  said  the  priest. 

"  Not  much,"  said  I,  "  if  she  marries  up  here." 

"  Well,"  said  the  priest  with  a  shrug,  "  if  you 
do  not  dance  at  the  wedding,  I  can  guarantee  you 
will  dance  before  it.  And  if  you  don't  do  as  you 
are  bid  I  am  afraid  you'll  both  be  sorry  I  didn't 
leave  you  to  undergo  friend  Manuel's  little  pleas- 
antries." 

"You  old  devil,"  I  said  viciously.  "  I  wish  I 
could  get  at  you." 

"  Now  don't  get  ruffled,  my  dear  Mr.  Birch," 
said  the  priest  with  his  lazy  smile.  "  It's  so  use- 
less to  lose  one's  temper  over  trifles.  Look  at 
Carew,  how  cool  and  cheerful  he  is.  I'm  sure 
he'd  like  to  hear  of  the  little  eccentricities  by 
which  my  brother  can  show  his  displeasure  on 
those  who  annoy  him." 


FATHER  JUPE  201 

"  Your  brother  ?  "  I  said. 

"Yes;  don't  you  know,  I'm  Jupe  Maxillo,  and 
I  should  have  been  Archbishop  of  Dolores  if  you 
gentlemen  had  not  come  to  interfere." 

"And  so  at  present?" 

"  At  present,  Mr.  Birch,  I  am  merely  a  simple 
country  parson,  with  so  much  time  upon  my 
hands  that  I  can  spare  a  moment  now  and  again 
to  help  with  my  friend's  affairs.  You  know  we 
country  clergy  in  Sacaronduca  are  notorious  for 
our  genial  meddling.  But  just  now  all  my 
thoughts  are  set  upon  one  thing.  I  want  to 
make  my  dear  brother  and  that  sweet  Donna 
Delicia  happy  at  one  and  the  same  time,  and 
at  present  the  lady  seems  to  have  some  foolish 
objections.  I'm  bringing  you  with  me  to  try 
and  remove  them." 

"You're  talking  foolishness,"  I  said. 

"Yes,"  added  Carew,  "I'm  afraid  you've  got 
hold  of  the  wrong  advocates  this  time,  Jupe,  old 
man." 

"  Well,"  said  the  priest,  "  we  must  hope  for  the 
best.  We  must  bring  pressure  to  bear.  D'you 
know,  Mr.  Birch,"  he  said,  rubbing  his  hands, 
"  we  are  famous  for  our,  shall  we  say,  pressure  up 
here  in  the  mountains?  " 

I  shivered.  I  knew  what  the  suave  brute  was 
hinting  at.  It  seemed  that  we  had  only  escaped 
one  abominable  set  of  tortures  to  meet  with  a 
worse. 


CHAPTER  XV 

AN   INDUCEMENT   TO   MARRIAGE 

I  BELIEVE  I've  shown  that  the  Tolpec  Moun- 
tains were  not  a  district  which  could  be  invaded 
against  any  real  defence.  In  many  places  the 
sheer  rock  walls  towered  up  five  thousand  feet 
from  the  hummocky  foot  hills,  as  vertical  as  the 
side  of  a  house. 

There  was  one  large  fertile  valley  right  in  the 
midst  of  this  chaos  of  stone,  and  here  lived  a  self- 
supporting  population  of  some  eight  or  ten  thou- 
sand souls.  They  possessed  water,  grain,  cattle, 
and  all  other  necessaries  of  a  simple  life,  and  by 
no  means  short  of  a  pestilence  could  they  be 
starved  out  of  their  stronghold. 

By  only  one  narrow  gut  of  a  cafion  could  any- 
thing living  get  access  to  this  valley  from  the 
outer  world,  unless  it  had  wings  or  the  floating 
power  of  a  balloon  ;  and  in  all  political  conditions 
of  the  country  the  ravine  was  stoutly  guarded. 
Even  when  Maxillo  sat  on  the  presidential  throne 
in  Dolores,  the  guard  was  still  maintained  in  this 
ravine,  and  intercourse  forbidden  with  the  rest  of 
the  nation  which  called  itself  Sacaronducan.  They 

paid  Sacaronduca  no  taxes,  and  received  from  it 
202 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  203 

no  protection — or  interference.  Except  for  the 
name  of  the  thing,  they  were  no  more  part  of  Sac- 
aronduca  than  Belgium  is  part  of  France  ;  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  they  were  an  independent 
State  to  themselves. 

Never  in  the  course  of  history  had  the  valley 
been  invaded,  and  its  inhabitants  knew  nothing 
personally  of  the  horrors  of  civil  war,  or  the  mer- 
cilessness  of  a  foreign  army ;  and  that  through 
long  security  they  might  not  grow  slack  and  neg- 
lect the  guard,  there  was  an  object  lesson  in  the 
fruits  of  political  excitement  perpetually  at  their 
gates.  Ever  since  Sacaronduca,  in  company  with 
the  other  colonies  of  the  New  World,  wrested 
herself  from  the  power  of  Spain  and  set  up  as  an 
independent  republic,  she  had  been  in  one  con- 
stant simmer  of  revolution.  The  highest  patriot- 
ism her  chief  men  knew  was  to  enrich  themselves, 
and  as  a  consequence  life  and  property  were  per- 
ilously insecure.  The  climate  of  Sacaronduca 
might  at  times  be  enervating,  but  society  was 
never  without  its  excitements. 

Our  horses  were  beginning  to  stumble  danger- 
ously over  the  rocky  defiles  before  we  came  into 
the  final  pass  which  led  to  this  secluded  glen. 
We  were  bone-weary  with  travel ;  our  spirits  were 
dulled  with  what  we  had  gone  through ;  but  the 
sight  of  that  stupendous  cafton  woke  even  us, 
prisoners  though  we  were,  to  admiration.  By 
some  upheaval  of  nature  the  river  which  quarried 


204  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

out  the  cafion  was  diverted  to  another  course.  All 
the  rock  was  bone  dry,  except  here  and  there 
where  some  peak  towering  higher  overhead  than 
its  fellows  preserved  its  winter  snow  cap,  and 
exuded  a  thin  gleam  of  moisture. 

Looking  upwards,  the  two  walls  of  rock  seemed 
absolutely  vertical,  and  the  thin  canal  of  blue  sky 
above,  though  infinitely  distant,  appeared  to  float 
on  the  uppermost  ridges  of  the  stone.  Under- 
foot the  road  was  intolerably  boulder-strewn  and 
ungentle  ;  there  was  absolutely  no  Invitation  to 
the  traveller ;  and  in  the  gullet  of  the  cafion, 
where  it  gave  upon  the  valley  plain,  there  was 
built  a  guarding  wall  worthy  of  China  itself. 

In  the  face  of  the  wall  were  port-holes,  each 
with  its  gun  muzzle  like  some  forbidding  eye ;  on 
the  battlements  of  the  wall  were  other  guns ;  and 
in  a  barrack  at  the  further  side  were  three  com- 
panies of  thirty  men  each,  who  stood  an  ever- 
lasting guard,  watch  and  watch  about.  The  wall 
itself  was  no  less  than  sixty  feet  thick,  the  gun 
chambers  being  mere  cavities  in  its  ponderous 
girth.  The  gateway  which  penetrated  this  wall  was 
a  mere  slit,  so  low  that  a  man  had  to  dismount 
before  he  could  pass  it,  so  narrow  that  a  horse  had 
to  be  stripped  of  its  saddlebags  before  it  could 
squeeze  between  the  sides. 

A  stronger  place  it  was  impossible  to  conceive. 
The  heights  above  were  as  unscalable  as  heaven, 
go  no  new  attack  could  be  made  from  there,  ancl 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  205 

as  the  part  of  the  cafton  leading  to  it  was  straight 
for  quite  a  couple  of  miles,  any  hostile  force  would 
be  exposed  to  a  quick  shell  fire  of  modern  artil- 
lery for  all  this  distance,  and  would  be  swept  out 
of  existence  before  it  could  come  within  rifle-shot. 

A  far-away  bugle,  thin  and  clear  in  the  moun- 
tain air,  acknowledged  our  coming  as  soon  as  we 
came  in  sight  of  this  barrier,  and  we  had  the 
satisfaction  of  blundering  over  the  next  two  miles 
of  advance  under  a  whole  battery  of  converging 
muzzles.  It  was  good  practice,  I  suppose,  to 
"  man  and  arm  fort  "  on  the  smallest  provocation. 

We  clattered  up  to  the  doorway,  a  score  of  rifles 
keeping  us  snugly  covered,  and  a  shaggy  fellow 
showed  himself  at  the  grille  of  the  gate,  and  de- 
manded our  names  and  business.  He  must  have 
known  Father  Jupe  as  well  as  he  knew  his  own 
brother,  but  there  was  a  form  to  be  observed,  and 
the  form  was  rigidly  gone  through.  The  priest 
kept  his  sardonic  sentences  for  once  in  reserve  ; 
gave  plain  answers  to  plain  questions ;  and  in  due 
time  procured  the  opening  of  the  gate.  As  we 
could  not  ride  in  as  we  were,  owing  to  the  lowness 
of  the  lintel,  he  got  down,  cast  off  the  lashings 
which  linked  our  feet  beneath  the  horses'  bellies ; 
and  then,  as  we  were  too  stiff  to  do  it  for  our- 
selves, helped  us  to  the  ground. 

One  by  one,  in  Indian  rank,  we  hobbled  in 
stiffly  through  the  gateway,  and  then  halted  in 
this  narrow  cell  of  a  passage  made  in  the  thick- 


206  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

ness  of  the  wall.  The  door  behind  us  squealed 
on  its  hinges  and  shut,  and  was  made  fast  there 
by  a  dozen  ponderous  locks  and  through-bolts, 
and  then  the  shaggy  doorkeeper  sung  out  the 
word  of  the  day,  and  the  door  beyond  us  was 
opened  from  without,  and  we  hobbled  wearily  into 
daylight  again. 

Father  Jupe  pulled  out  a  long  knife,  and  cut 
the  lashings  from  our  numbed  wrists.  "  I  am 
sure,  seftores,"  said  he,  "  that  you  will  both  ap- 
preciate the  unwilling  compliment  I  have  paid  to 
your  powers  of  offence.  You  see  I  am  only  a 
poor,  weak,  nervous  ecclesiastic,  and  I  had  to  keep 
you  tied  up  for  the  benefit  of  my  own  bare  exist- 
ence." 

"  Don't  mention  it,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned/' 
said  Carew.  "As  I  told  you,  I  was  bound  in  this 
direction  before  we  were  interrupted  by  your 
friend  without  the  ears  and  his  assistants.  For 
purposes  of  my  own  I  want  to  help  your  excellent 
brother,  Mr.  Maxillo,  on  to  his  perch  again.  So 
you  needn't  at  all  apologise,  my  dear  fellow,  for 
bringing  me  in  the  direction  I  want  to  go.  No, 
Birch  is  the  man  to  feel  annoyed.  You're  taking 
Birch  quite  in  the  wrong  direction,  and  it's  very 
awkward  for  him  to  be  away  from  business  with- 
out leave  of  absence." 

The  priest  spread  his  hands  deprecatingly.  "  I 
can  only  hope  that  Sefior  Birch  will  pardon  me,' 
said  he,  "when  he  remembers  that  it  is  for  a  lady's 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  207 

advantage  that  his  services  have  been  enlisted.  I 
am  sure  there  is  chivalry  about  el  seftor  Birch." 

"  Tons,"  said  Carew.  "  Look  here,  Jupe. 
Touching  the  lady :  what's  your  little  game 
with  her?" 

But  the  priest  did  not  choose  to  discuss  this  sub- 
ject further  just  then.  "  I  only  know  what  I  have 
told  you  already,"  he  said.  "  My  brother  will  give 
you  all  the  further  details  when  we  come  to  his 
hacienda.  Come,  now,  let  me  ask  you  the  usual 
American  question.  What  do  you  think  of  our 
country  ?  " 

We  were  on  our  tired  horses  again  by  this  time, 
and  were  leaving  the  grim  rocky  barrier  behind. 
The  level  valley  lay  spread  out  before  us,  comely, 
peaceful,  deliciously  fertile.  White  villages  clus- 
tered here  and  there  amongst  the  fields  ;  irriga- 
tion trenches  lined  the  greenery  with  gleaming 
silver  threads  ;  and  in  the  valley's  centre,  like  some 
patriarch  in  the  midst  of  a  flock,  stood  the  hacienda 
of  Maxillo.  It  was  a  huge  building  built  four 
square  round  a  courtyard.  Its  roofs  were  flat, 
its  windows  square,  its  walls  trimly  whitewashed. 
The  sky  above  was  blazing,  but  the  building  carried 
with  it  a  look  of  coolness  and  almost  a  suggestion 
of  gloom.  So  thick  were  the  walls  that  one  half 
of  the  window  embrasures  were  filled  with  inky 
shadows.  So  dense  were  the  trees  sprouting  up 
from  the  inner  courtyard  that  their  fringing 
branches  overhung  even  the  roof  itself, 


208  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Carew  surveyed  the  place  with  a  quick  interest. 
"  It's  a  pity  this  valley  of  yours  is  stowed  away  so 
deep  in  the  heart  of  the  country,"  he  said. 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  the  priest.  "  We  poor  humble 
folk  who  live  here  find  the  place  not  intolerable 
as  it  is.  It  seemed  to  us  very  snug  and  undis- 
turbed." 

"  Quite  so.  I'm  a  practically  minded  man.  I 
see  the  snugness  ;  I  see  how  difficult  it  is  to  dis- 
turb you  ;  but  I  can't  help  seeing  also  how  small 
your  opportunities  are  for  raiding.  You  are  too 
far  off  the  big  towns  of  Sacaronduca  to  levy  tribute 
from  them,  even  if  there  was  anything  much  worth 
levying — which  there  isn't.  But  by  Jove,  if  you'd 
got  a  bit  of  a  snug  port  on  the  coast,  fancy  what  a 
chance  you'd  have  of  it  then.  With  a  small  fast 
steamboat " 

"  My  dear  Carew,  I'm  afraid  you  are  hinting  at 
piracy." 

"  Well,  and  aren't  you  pirates  ?  What's  Maxillo 
but  a  pirate  any  way?  What's  Briggs  if  you  come 
to  that  ?  You  can  call  it  declaring  war  on  some- 
body if  you  want  to  stand  upon  niceties,  but  it 
amounts  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end  :  you  only 
do  it  for  what  you  can  make." 

The  priest  laughed  and  rubbed  his  hands. 
"  The  valley  is  as  God  chose,  and  we  can't  change 
it.  And  of  course  we  may  be  what  you  say,  amigo. 
But  why  not  call  us  patriots  ?  It's  a  suaver  term, 
and  I  seem  to  prefer  it." 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  209' 

"  I'm  sure  you  would,"  said  Carew  shortly,  and 
turned  his  head  away  to  end  the  talk. 

Children  and  women  stared  at  us  as  we  rode  past 
the  houses,  men  looked  up  and  stared  at  us  from 
their  work  in  the  fields.  Strangers  in  the  valley 
were  evidently  a  rarity.  Probably  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Donna  Delicia  not  an  alien  had  come 
before  their  eyes  in  the  last  dozen  years. 

We  were  riding  free  now,  and  Father  Jupe  had 
put  away  the  revolver  in  a  pocket  of  his  rusty  cas- 
sock. If  we  had  attempted  to  bolt  he  could  not 
have  stopped  us.  Indeed,  it  was  not  at  all  likely 
he  would  have  attempted  to  try.  We  had  seen 
for  ourselves  how  the  only  passage  into  the  valley 
was  guarded ;  and  as  for  other  outlets,  the  grim 
snow-capped  mountains  which  fenced  us  in  seemed 
an  open  advertisement  of  their  non-existence. 
There  was  no  help  for  it ;  we  were  trapped  securely 
enough  this  time  ;  and  we  had  got  to  do  what  they 
wanted  with  regard  to  Delicia  and  this  marriage — 
or  take  the  consequences. 

Slowly  we  drew  nearer  to  the  hacienda,  and  in 
the  dense  shadow  of  the  wide  portico  I  could  see 
men  watching  us.  The  tired  horses  kept  perpet- 
ually stumbling  ;  we  ourselves  were  so  weary  that 
we  could  scarcely  sit  in  the  saddles  ;  even  the  in- 
domitable Jupe  was  giving  signs  that  the  strain 
was  beginning  to  tell  upon  him.  The  scent  of 
cigarette  smoke  reached  us,  lying  stale  and  stag- 
nant in  the  breathless  air,  And  then  of  their 


210  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

own  accord  the  fagged  horses  divined  rest  and 
forage  ahead,  and  quickened  to  a  lumbering  trot 
to  reach  it. 

We  drew  up  with  a  clatter  before  the  portico, 
and  could  almost  smell  the  cool  air  from  within 
coming  out  of  the  gloom  with  the  cigarette 
smoke.  There  was  a  lazy  chatter  of  salutations, 
and  a  few  indolent  hands  stretched  out  to  take 
our  bridles.  What  was  said  was  beyond  our  fol- 
lowing, as  the  Tolpec  dialect  is  quite  unlike 
Spanish,  even  Sacaronducan  Spanish ;  but  it  was 
easy  to  guess  from  the  tone  that  Father  Jupe  was 
the  hero  of  the  moment,  and  the  subject  for 
hearty  congratulations,  and  that  we  were  looked 
upon  as  being  unmistakable  prisoners,  and  possi- 
bly victims. 

When  the  explanations  were  over,  a  couple  of 
men  signed  to  us  to  follow  them,  and  the  priest 
bade  us  farewell  for  the  present,  with  ironical  po- 
liteness. He  was  always  polite,  that  infernal  priest, 
whatever  he  had  got  to  say. 

The  men  who  had  us  in  charge  did  not  trouble 
to  be  civil.  We  were  tired,  and  stiff,  and  wanted 
to  go  slowly.  They  seemed  inclined  to  hustle  us, 
but  they  did  not  persist  in  this.  They  got  one 
look  apiece  from  Carew,  and  concluded  to  let  us  go 
our  own  pace.  Carew  certainly  has  a  very  handy 
way  of  looking  ugly  at  times. 

However,  go  we  had  to,  quick  or  slow,  and, 
come  to  think  of  it,  we  had  no  special  cause  for 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  211 

objecting.  We  had  been  treated  pleasantly  enough 
in  this  mountain  valley  up  till  then.  And  so  we 
were  taken  (or  driven,  if  you  like  it  better)  into  a 
big  airy  room  on  the  ground  floor,  with  a  barred 
window,  of  course,  and  a  good  deal  of  bare  wall 
and  whitewash.  It  was  just  the  ordinary  bed- 
room of  the  country  districts,  with  a  couple  of 
"  quatres"  with  mosquito  bars  over  them,  and  an 
earthenware  basin  and  a  gourd  of  water  on  a  stone 
shelf. 

We  washed  in  part  of  the  water  and  drank  up 
the  rest,  and  then  a  fellow  brought  us  in  a  couple 
of  jugs  of  wine  and  a  couple  of  plates  of  some 
sort  of  garlicky  sausage  mess,  fried  up  with  beans 
and  peppers.  It  seemed  they  didn't  intend  to 
starve  us,  and  we  supped  gratefully  enough, 
though  it  was  an  effort  to  keep  awake  even  to  eat. 
Then  I  for  one  lifted  the  mosquito  bar,  and  fell 
back  on  the  "  quatre."  But  I  think  Carew  must 
have  hesitated,  for  I  heard  him  say,  "  Birch ;  look 
here,  Birch.  About  that  duel  of  ours.  We  have  a 
chance  to  settle  it  now,  and  the  Lord  knows  when 
we  may  get  another." 

But  I  was  past  plucking  up  a  bit  of  spirit  then. 
I  had  ridden,  and  I  had  eaten,  and  I  had  lain  me 
down ;  and  not  to  save  even  my  honour  could  I 
have  roused  myself  from  that  drowsiness.  My 
lips  mumbled  something,  I  don't  know  what ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  mumbling,  I  tumbled  off  into  the 
deadest  kind  of  unconsciousness. 


212  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

However,  a  sea  training,  even  for  a  purser,  what- 
ever its  other  results  may  be,  has  one  good  effect : 
it  teaches  one  to  extract  the  maximum  of  rest  out 
of  a  given  amount  of  sleep.  I  don't  know  how 
long  we  were  left  there  undisturbed,  but  it  could 
not  have  been  more  than  three  or  three  and  a  half 
hours  at  the  outside,  because  the  sun  was  only 
just  upon  its  setting  when  they  roused  us.  I  was 
fairly  rested,  with  all  my  wits  ready  to  occupy 
themselves  with  what  came  next.  Carew  was  in 
the  usual  condition  of  a  man  who  has  not  had  his 
sleep  out ;  and  amongst  other  things  he  was  in  a 
vile  temper. 

It  was  Maxillo  himself  who  did  us  the  honour 
of  paying  a  visit,  and  a  dozen  lusty  well-armed 
men  trooped  into  the  room  at  his  heels  so  as  to 
be  ready  for  emergencies.  The  ex-President  was 
not  a  bit  like  his  sardonical  brother.  He  was  a 
little,  shrivelled,  pompous  man,  with  a  yellow 
face,  and  a  bright  black  eye,  and  a  regular  rat- 
trap  of  a  mouth.  He  came  to  the  point  with  curt 
directness. 

"  Now,  you  two,"  he  said,  "  I've  got  you  here, 
and  I'm  going  to  make  you  useful,  or  you  will 
suffer  for  it." 

"  It  was  my  intention  to  come,"  said  Carew, 
"  and  offer  you  my  services." 

"  I  shall  take  the  services  I  require,  and  then 
dismiss  you,"  said  Maxillo  coldly. 

"  1  have  done  with  Briggs  and  Briggs  has  done 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  213 

with  me.  It  suits  my  purpose  to  put  you  on  the 
throne  again,  and  you  will  find  that  I  shall  do  it 
faithfully  and  effectually." 

"  I  shall  find  nothing  of  the  sort.  I  refuse  to 
let  you  meddle.  To  be  accurate,  Seftor  Carew,  I 
doubt  both  your  faith  and  your  capability.  You 
have  been  treacherous  once,  and  you  would  be 
treacherous  again  if  it  suited  your  purpose ;  you 
have  obviously  been  unsuccessful  over  your  own 
affairs  or  you  would  not  have  come  in  this  direc- 
tion now  ;  and  I  do  not  choose  that  you  should 
have  the  opportunity  of  bungling  with  my  in- 
terests." 

Carew's  face  darkened. 

"  I  make  no  doubt,"  the  little  man  went  on  con- 
temptuously, "  that  you  flatter  yourself  you  can 
make  an  ugly  enemy.  But  I  leave  you  to  your 
own  convenience  about  that  matter.  After  you 
have  done  what  I  want  here,  you  will  be  free  to 
go  where  you  like,  and  to  do  what  you  like.  If 
you  fail  to  do  what  I  want,  you  will  not  go,  that 
is  all.  The  matter  will  be  decided  one  way  or  the 
other  before  to-morrow  morning."  He  turned  to 
me.  "  Your  name  is  Birch,  I  believe,  sir,  and  my 
agents  in  your  army  tell  me  that  you  have  the 
character  of  being  a  sensible  man.  My  brother 
respited  you  from  a  very  painful  death,  but  you 
must  understand  that  you  were  respited,  not  nec- 
essarily reprieved.  The  reprieve  you  must  earn 
yourself." 


214  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  May  I  ask  the  process  ?  " 

Maxillo  had  his  face  under  good  command,  but 
I  could  have  sworn  his  mouth  twitched  then. 
"  By  persuading  an  acquaintance  of  yours,  Donna 
Delicia,  to  honour  me  with  her  hand  in  marriage. 
At  one  time,  not  very  long  ago,  she  offered  it  to 
me  freely — under  conditions — and  I  refused. 
Since  then  history  has  moved  on.  I  desire  to 
marry  her  now,  for  political  reasons." 

"  I  know  Donna  Delicia's  will,"  said  I.  "  Mere 
words  of  mine  are  not  likely  to  change  it." 

Maxillo  waved  aside  the  interruption,  and  went 
on.  "You  will  please  to  picture  her  situation. 
My  agents  have  had  their  orders  for  long  enough, 
and,  on  the  whole,  they  have  served  me  faith- 
fully. It  is  true  they  did  not  find  out  at  first  that 
she  was  backing  your  Briggs  " — the  name  seemed 
to  stick  somewhat  in  his  throat — "your  Briggs 
and  his  filibusters ;  but  as  soon  as  she  declared 
herself,  they  watched  their  opportunity,  and  they 
spirited  her  away  from  Dolores  with  a  success 
and  an  absence  of  trace  which  I  am  sure  even  you 
must  own  was  masterly.  And  so  she  came  to 
my  poor  house  here,  and  again  I  had  the  honour 
of  placing  myself  at  her  feet. 

"  I  asked  that  she  should  honour  me  with  her 
hand  in  marriage  ;  she  refused.  I  pointed  out 
as  delicately  as  might  be  the  compromising  situa- 
tion in  which  she  found  herself  with  a  discarded 
suitor,  and  suggested  marriage  as  a  simple  end  to 


AN  INDUCEMENT  TO  MARRIAGE  215 

the  scandal.  She  replied  that  she  did  not  care  a 
fig  for  scandal  " — Maxillo  sighed — "  and  that  I 
believe  is  true.  Physical  coercion  I  did  not  see 
my  way  to  use,  even  to  gain  so  weighty  an  end — 
for,  mark  you,  seftores,  the  man  who  gains 
Donna  Delicia  as  his  wife  gains  the  presidential 
throne  of  Sacaronduca  as  her  portion.  I  am  con- 
vinced of  that  now.  But  now  fate,  and  my  dear 
brother  Jupe,  have  put  in  my  way  a  piece  of 
moral  suasion  which  I  do  not  think  she  can 
resist." 

"  You  old  he-goat,"  broke  out  Carew  ;  "  if  you 
think  you'll  get  help  from  me  after  your  recent 
politeness,  you've  come  to  the  wrong  shop. 
You'd  better  try  Birch." 

"  Seflor  Maxillo,"  I  said,  "  you  seemed  to  dis- 
like treachery,  and  I'm  afraid  the  other  thing  may 
be  equally  intolerable  to  you.  I  must  tell  you 
that  before  all  things  I  am  loyal  to  General  Briggs, 
and  so  naturally  therefore  I  cannot  help  you  to 
take  away  his  promised  wife.  Besides,  I  am  quite 
a  humble  person,  a  mere  secretary,  and  I  am  sure 
Donna  Delicia  would  give  very  little  weight  to  my 
advice.  You  know  quite  well  she  sets  a  high 
value  on  her  own  opinion." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Maxillo,"  said  Carew,  "  there  you 
have  it  from  both  of  us ;  we'll  see  you  at  the  devil 
first.  And  now,  what's  next  ?  " 

Maxillo  stamped  with  passion.  "  You  escaped, 
it  seems,  being  roasted  to  death  ?  Defy  me 


216  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

further,  and  you  shall  find  there  are  worse  things 
than  that.  You  saw  the  fields  of  sorghum  and 
sugar  cane  as  you  rode  down  the  valley  ?  We 
boil  down  the  juice  of  those,  when  the  season 
comes,  in  great  iron  coppers  which  hold  a  thou- 
sand gallons.  I'll  fill  two  of  these  a  third  full  of 
water  and  put  you  in,  and  then  light  the  fires 
beneath.  That  brigand  Manuel  threatened  to 
roast  you  to  death,  did  he  ?  Well,  you  were 
saved  from  that,  and  you  shall  be  boiled  to  death 
instead  if  you  force  me  to  it,  and  Delicia  shall 
watch  your  writhings  whilst  the  water  heats. 
Carrajo  !  Defy  me,  would  you  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  MARRIAGE   OF  DONNA  DELICIA 

MAXILLO  stormed  himself  out  of  the  room,  and 
his  truculent  following  stumped  out  after  him  on 
their  rope  sandals  ;  the  door  was  slammed  to  and 
locked,  and  Carew  and  I  stared  at  one  another 
rather  blankly. 

"  It  looks  like  a  very  devil  of  a  mess,"  said  I 
ruefully. 

"  It's  that  and  no  less,"  said  Carew.  "  Look 
here,  Birch  ;  when  you  were  turning  in  last  night 
I  reminded  you  that  the  pair  of  us  had  come  out 
to  shoot  one  another.  Now  I  don't  for  a  moment 
suggest  that  affair  should  be  considered  as  off  ;  I 
for  one  have  heard  more  from  you  than  I  can 
stomach  without  a  shot  in  return,  and  you  seem 
to  think  you've  got  a  pretty  heavy  grievance 
against  me  ;  but  we've  got  no  weapons  here  which 
could  settle  our  business  with  any  degree  of  neat- 
ness— nothing,  in  fact,  except  our  bare  hands — 
and  the  survivor  would  feel  a  bit  lonely  and  apt 
to  come  by  a  bad  end.  So  I  suggest  an  armistice 
for  the  time  being." 

"  It  would  be  more  comfortable  getting  respect- 

217 


218  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

ably  killed  in  a  duel  than  being  boiled  like  a 
lobster  in  one's  own  shell." 

"  Who  intends  to  get  boiled  ?  I  don't  for  one. 
There's  a  lot  between  this  room  here  and  that  old 
he-goat's  coppers." 

"  Yes,  but  what  ?  " 

"  We  must  think  it  out,  Birch.  But  first,  what 
about  that  temporary  truce  ?  " 

"  Very  well,  I  agree,  for  the  time  being." 

"  Oh,  don't  be  too  damned  condescending.  Be- 
lieve me,  I'm  quite  ready  to  shoot  and  be  shot  at 
on  our  first  possible  opportunity.  But,  as  I  say, 
there's  too  much  big  business  on  hand  at  the  pres- 
ent moment  to  leave  time  for  amusements  of  that 
kind  just  now." 

He  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  his  "quatre  "  and 
put  an  elbow  on  his  knee,  and  presently  fell  to 
gnawing  at  his  nails.  "  She'd  do  it,  I  suppose,  if 
it  was  the  only  way  to  save  us  from  the  kettle — 
especially  if  she  knew  she'd  have  to  look  on  and  see 
us  stew.  But  to  have  her  marry  that  stinking  old 
billy-goat.  By  gad,  no." 

"  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  we  can  always 
jump  out  at  the  fellows  when  they  come  next,  and 
make  them  kill  us.  We're  both  as  fit  as  can  be 
again  now,  and  we're  both  pretty  useful  with  our 
hands.  With  luck  we  should  manage  to  make 
things  so  hot  that  they'd  be  obliged  to  give  us 
knife  in  self-defence." 

"  Oh,  yes,  there's   always   that.     But   I've   no 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA   219 

notion  of  deliberately  getting  killed  if  there's  any 
other  way  out  of  the  scrape."  He  kicked  his  heel 
petulantly,  and  it  hit  against  something  under  the 
bed.  "  What's  that  ?  A  brazero,  by  Jove,  with 
plenty  of  unburned  charcoal.  And  I  have  matches. 
Phew ! "  he  whistled,  and  went  off  into  thought 
again. 

"  Well,"  I  said  at  last,  "  have  you  got  an  idea  ?  " 

"  I  have  and  I  haven't.  But,  my  faith  !  If  the 

chance  comes  somebody  had  better  look  out . 

Yes,  there's  a  long  iron  hold-fast  in  the  wall  above 
your  head.  Birch,  that  will  pull  out  and  do 
capitally.  I  shall  not  be  delicate-minded  in  han- 
dling these  brutes  if  that  chance  I  want  arrives 
my  way." 

"  There's  someone  coming." 

"  Lord !  Footsteps  by  all  that's  unlucky. 
Well,  we  aren't  ready,  and  we  must  do  as  we  can. 
We're  quite  powerless  to  help  Delicia  any  way, 
and  she  must  take  care  of  herself.  I  guess 
we're  about  on  the  edge  of  torture,  and  that's  not 
in  my  line  at  all.  I'm  not  going  out  of  this 
room." 

"  I'll  fight  it  out  with  you,  and  old  Maxillo  can 
make  soup  of  my  dead  carcase  if  he  pleases. 
He- 

"  Stand  back  beside  the  door,"  whispered 
Carew.  "  Stand  back,  and  don't  show  fight,  and 
risk  it.  That's  Delicia's  voice  outside,  and  if  we 
can  get  her  into  the  room  and  gain  a  bit  of  time 


220  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

we  may  manage  to  have  a  better  run  for  our 
money." 

It  was  Donna  Delicia's  voice  surely  enough, 
and  presently  the  door  opened  and  we  could  hear 
what  she  said.  She  was  delivering  an  ultimatum 
to  no  less  a  person  than  Maxillo  himself. 

"  Understand  clearly,"  she  was  saying,  "  that 
unless  I  go  into  that  room  alone  I  shall  not  speak. 
You  will  get  nothing  out  of  me — neither  proposal 
nor  acceptance  ;  you  may  kill  these  two  English- 
men, and  I  cannot  prevent  it ;  but  it  will  not 
bring  you  any  forwarder.  You  know  perfectly 
well  that  you  cannot  marry  me  unless  I  choose ; 
I  would  kill  myself  sooner  than  be  forced  into 
it  against  my  will :  and  if  that  happened,  then 
look  out  for  yourself,  senor.  There  are  men  in 
Sacaronduca  who  would  pull  down  these  moun- 
tains sooner  than  not  get  at  you,  and  you  know  it." 

Maxillo  gritted  his  teeth.  "  If  I  let  you  go 
into  that  room  alone  you  will  plot  with  those 
men." 

"  So  ho  !  senor.  Then  you  are  afraid  of  your 
poor  prisoners?  " 

"  Madame,"  he  said  sourly,  "  I  am  the  least 
timorous  of  men.  But  I  do  not  want  to  make  the 
way  open  for  more  trouble." 

"  Ah,  then,"  she  retorted,  "  take  the  advice  of  a 
woman  who  has  once  been  married,  and  keep  clear 
of  married  life.  Senor,  you  are  a  brave  man  to 
push  me  so  hard.  I  should  lead  you  a  terrible 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA   221 

time  of  it  once  you  were  my  lawful  husband.  You 
did  me  once  the  compliment  (in  your  coarser  mo- 
ments) of  admiring  my  teeth.  You  have  got  a 
small  notion  of  what  a  tongue  lies  in  at  the  back 
of  them." 

"  Ah,  but  I  have,"  said  he,  with  a  rueful  face. 
"  Well,  take  your  way ;  but  see  to  it  things  are 
arranged  to  my  liking.  If  it  will  please  you,"  he 
said,  "  to  step  into  this  poor  room  ?  "  and  bowed 
her  towards  the  doorway. 

She  walked  in,  bowed  to  each  of  us  formally, 
though  with  a  shut  lip,  and  then  she  turned  and 
looked  inquiringly  towards  the  door.  Maxillo  was 
watching  her  with  a  lowering  face. 

She  waited  on,  and  then  "  Your  courtesy  does 
not  seem  to  run  very  deep,  seflor,"  she  said. 

Maxillo  swore  beneath  his  moustache,  and 
"Shut  the  door!  "he  ordered.  It  slammed  to 
with  a  force  that  shook  the  room. 

In  a  moment  her  manner  changed.  Through 
the  growing  gloom  of  the  chamber  I  could  see  her 
eyes  grow  full  of  pity  and  anxiety.  She  came 
across  to  us  in  her  quick,  bright  way,  and  took 
a  hand  of  each.  "  My  poor  friends,"  she  said, 
"  what  a  terrible  plight  to  find  you  in.  And 
all  because  of  me.  But  it  is  just  a  ruse  de  guerre 
that  I  find  you  here  as  prisoners?  Perhaps  in 
your  cleverness  you  have  some  of  the  force  am- 
bushed  " 

"  Donna  Delicia,"  I  broke  in,  "  please  wait  a 


222  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

minute.  We  didn't  come  here  to  find  you  at  all. 
We  are  just  what  you  see,  prisoners.  We  quar- 
relled ;  we  left  Dolores  to  fight  a  duel ;  we  got 
picked  up  by  brigands  ;  and  here  we  are.  That  is 
the  gist  of  the  tale.  But  by  accident  we  find  you 
here,  and  we  are  very  much  at  your  service." 

"A  los  pies  de  usted,  sefiora,"  said  Carew. 

"  A  duel !  "  she  said  wonderingly. 

"  That  is  postponed  for  the  present,"  I  said. 
"  You  see  us  here  quite  ready  to  do  anything  for 
your  advantage." 

"  Yes,  but  what  can  you  do?  " 

"  We  are  open  to  a  suggestion." 

"  And  I  never  felt  so  much  at  a  loss.  Maxillo 
has  been  too  clever  for  me."  She  shuddered. 
"  And  he  is  a  man  to  keep  his  word.  He  will  be 
entirely  ruthless."  She  shuddered  again. 

"  He  has  got  to  put  us  in  the  pot  before  he  can 
make  soup  of  us,"  said  Carew,  "  and  he  may  find 
that  difficult.  I  know  I  for  one  have  not  the  least 
intention  of  being  boiled  alive,  and  I  believe  Birch 
has  similar  scruples.  The  only  thing  is,  if  we  get 
killed,  my  dear  lady,  that  doesn't  help  you,  does 
it  ?  You'd  have  to  marry  the  old  goat  sooner  or 
later,  all  the  same." 

"  I  could  kill  myself  also." 

"  Oh,  dear  no  !  That  would  be  a  terrible  waste 
of  good  material." 

"  I  see  no  other  way  out  of  the  trouble,"  she 
said,  smiling  bravely. 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  223 

"Well,"  drawled  Carew,  "you  might  marry  me, 
you  know." 

She  started,  and  for  the  first  time  looked  (I 
think)  a  trifle  scared.  "  Sir  William,"  she  said, 
"  I  suppose  this  is  a  joke,  and  I  think  it  a  poor 
one.  Any  way  I  do  not  see  the  point.  As  you 
must  know,  I  am  promised  to  marry  your  master, 
General  Briggs." 

"  He's  no  master  of  mine,  madam.  Birch  here 
will  guarantee  you  that.  No,  I've  chucked  Briggs 
finally  and  for  always,  and  I  had  thought  of  chip- 
ping in  with  Maxillo.  Maxillo,  however,  is  not 
polite ;  refuses  to  have  me,  in  fact,  on  any  terms  ; 
and  so  here  am  I  a  lone  lorn  orphan,  so  to  speak, 
and  out  on  the  world  on  my  own  hook.  Now, 
Delicia,  you  admire  success,  and  you  want  to  be 
wife  to  the  President  of  Sacaronduca.  Well,  I'm 
going  to  bid  for  the  berth  myself,  and  there's 
only  one  thing  that  will  stop  me,  and  that's  my 
own  funeral ;  and  I  tell  you  I'm  not  dead  yet,  or 
anywhere  near  it.  There's  no  denying  you're  in 
a  bad  hole  here,  and  you  see  no  way  out  of  it. 
Isn't  that  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes.     Go  on." 

"  Well,  as  I  say,  marry  me,  and  then  I'll  clear 
out  suddenly.  Once  you've  got  a  husband,  Max- 
illo's  scheme  falls  to  the  ground.  He  daren't  ill- 
treat  you,  and  if  he  doesn't  let  you  go  out  of  sheer 
disgust  at  being  sold  I'll  find  some  way  of  hooking 
you  out  of  his  grip.  In  the  meanwhile,  if  Briggs 


224  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

remains  President  of  Sacaronduca  he'll  only  do  it 
by  knocking  me  on  the  head,  in  which  case  you'll 
be  quite  free  to  marry  him  when  things  have 
settled  down.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I  get  to  the 
head  of  the  country,  you'll  find  yourself  the  wife 
of  the  biggest  man  Central  America  has  ever 
seen." 

Now  I  was  watching  Donna  Delicia  pretty  nar- 
rowly whilst  Carew  was  making  this  extraordinary 
proposal,  and  it  was  clear  to  see  that  she  was 
moved.  But  she  by  no  means  showed  a  sign  of 
giving  way  at  once.  She  wanted  to  gain  a  little 
time  for  consideration  probably,  and  so,  woman- 
like, she  opened  up  a  side  issue. 

"  You  seem  to  be  showing  a  change  of  object," 
she  said.  "  When  you  first  came  to  this  country, 
Sir  William,  I  thought  you  stated  somewhat 
openly  that  you  only  did  it  for  the  money  you 
could  gather  to  carry  home  again.  I  seem  to  have 
learned  too  that  at  that  time  you  professed  an 
utter  contempt  for  all  political  advantage." 

"  I  hadn't  seen  you  then,"  said  Carew.  "  I  may 
remark  that  it  is  you  who  want  the  political 
eminence,  and  that's  why  I  am  ready  to  get  it  for 
you — for  the  pair  of  us,  in  fact.  I  never  looked 
upon  a  woman  with  an  eye  to  marriage  before, 
but,  by  God,  Delicia,"  he  burst  out,  "  I  want  you, 
and  if  this  sort  of  thing  is  what  you  care  about, 
you  shall  have  not  only  Sacaronduca  but  half 
these  wretched  little  Central  American  states 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  225 

tacked  on  at  the  back  of  it.  Nothing  shall  stop 
us.  You  shall  have  a  kingdom  worthy  of  a  queen. 
Being  near,  you  makes  one  equally  ambitious  with 
yourself." 

Donna  Delicia's  eyes  were  sparkling  now,  and 
her  cheeks  were  pink  ;  but  she  did  not  offer  either 
a  "yes"  or  a  "no."  "You  do  not  ask  love  from 
me  ?  "  she  said,  almost  shyly. 

"  I  shall  earn  that  by  service.  As  for  my  own 
feelings  on  the  matter  I  do  not  choose  to  parade 
them."  , 

"  And  if  I  give  way  to  your  proposal  you  will 
understand  that  circumstances  press  me  on  ?  " 

"If,"  retorted  Carew,  "you  had  stayed  in 
Dolores,  I  should  probably  not  have  asked  you  to 
marry  me.  At  least  not  yet.  Being  here  ;  being, 
as  I  may  say,  in  an  extremely  tight  place,  I  throw 
out  the  suggestion  as  a  possible  means  of  escape 
from  worse  evils.  Hang  it,  Delicia,  whatever's 
wrong  with  me  I'm  a  better  specimen  than  that 
old  goat  Maxillo." 

Donna  Delicia  looked  him  in  the  face,  and  then 
let  her  glance  fall. 

"  I  should  like  to  annoy  Maxillo,"  she  said 
rather  coyly. 

"  We'll  shake  hands  on  that,"  said  Carew,  and 
they  did  so  heartily,  just  as  two  friends  might 
have  done.  "  And  now,"  said  he,  "  we'll  get  ready 
for  the  wedding."  | 

He  pulled  out  the  brazero  from  under  the  bed, 
'5 


226  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

scraped  a  match,  lit  the  charcoal,  and  with  his 
breath  blew  it  into  a  smoulder.  Then  he  wrenched 
the  long  iron  holdfast  from  the  wall,  pushed  its 
tip  well  into  the  glowing  embers,  and  stood  up 
again. 

Donna  Delicia  and  I  had  been  watching  him  in 
silence,  wondering  what  it  was  all  about,  but  in- 
stinctively trusting  to  his  wit  for  the  next  move. 
However,  he  did  not  explain  just  then.  Still 
when  he  stood  up  out  of  the  gloom  of  the  floor, 
and  the  moon's  rays  pouring  in  through  the  win- 
dow fell  upon  his  face,  I  saw  there  a  look  of 
pleased  certainty  which  comforted  me  more  than 
anything  I  had  come  across  for  many  a  weary 
hour.  He  was  a  man,  as  I  had  learned  already, 
of  extraordinary  resourcefulness. 

"  I  must  ask  you,  Delicia,"  he  said,  "  to  go  into 
the  corridor  and  send  for  Father  Jupe.  Get  him 
in  here,  and  get  him  in  alone.  Say  that  we  have 
arrived  at  a  compromise  over  this  marriage  ques- 
tion, and  want  his  help  to  get  Maxillo  to  accept 
it.  That  will  be  quite  true,  and  should  appeal  to 
that  sardonic  humour  of  his  when  he  has  time  to 
think  it  out  coolly  later." 

"  But  if  he  brings  others  with  him." 

"  Then  they  have  my  pity  beforehand.  Birch 
and  I  will  have  to — er — handle  them  so  that  they 
do  not  interfere." 

"There  is  a  bar  here  on  the  inside,"  said  I, 
"running  into  a  socket  in  the  wall  which  will 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  227 

keep  the  door  shut  once  we  get  our  man  in  the 
room." 

"I'd  seen  it,"  said  Carew.  "Now,  Delicia, 
please." 

She  stepped  towards  him,  laid  both  hands  on 
his  arm,  and  looked  up  in  his  face.  "  There 
seems  a  horrible  risk  about  everything,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  will  do  my  best.  Whatever  happens, 
please  know  that  I  am  grateful,  and  do  not — 

do  not "  the  words  seemed  to  stick  in  her 

throat. 

"  Get  into  the  kettle,"  Carew  suggested.  "  No 
we  won't,  either  Birch  or  myself.  You  can  trust 
us  for  that,  Delicia.  Now  away  with  you  and 
wheedle  Jupe  into  the  room  alone.  You've  got 
plenty  of  cleverness ;  you  can  do  it  if  you  try." 

She  shuddered  a  little,  and  then  with  an  effort 
she  pulled  herself  together  again  and  went  to- 
wards the  door.  I  opened  it  for  her.  The  cor- 
ridor seemed  to  be  empty,  though  there  were 
plenty  of  men  chattering  out  of  sight  at  the  fur- 
ther end.  She  walked  quickly  away  towards  the 
voices,  and  I  went  back  into  the  room. 

"  It's  just  a  chance  she  may  bring  it  off,"  said 
Carew,  moodily. 

"  A  slim  ghost  of  a  chance,"  said  I. 

"  There's  not  another  woman  in  the  world 
would  have  so  much.  But  if  it  does  come  off, 
we've  got  to  be  ready.  Look  here,  Birch,  I'll  shut 
the  door  if  we  can  get  Jupe  inside,  and  slip  the 


228  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

bar  in  place.  You  must  get  your  arms  round 
the  man  and  hold  him  tight.  You  can  do  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  can  do  that  right  enough  as  far  as  phys- 
ical ability  goes,  but  the  question  is,  do  I  intend 
to  ?  It  seems  I  am  going  to  help  you  to  marry 
Briggs's  promised  wife.  That's  what  I  can't 
quite  make  up  my  mind  about." 

"  Now,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  don't  let's  have  any 
more  of  this  nonsense  now,"  he  said  irritably. 
"  Hang  it,  man,  respect  the  truce.  We've  got 
a  beggarly  chance  of  saving  our  lives  and  of 
serving  Delicia  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Have 
you  got  a  better  plan  ?  No,  you  haven't.  Then, 
for  heaven's  sake,  shut  your  mouth  and  use  your 
wit  to  help  mine.  Afterwards  if  we  do  get  clear 
of  this  mantra])  forty  things  may  happen.  You 
may  shoot  me,  Briggsmay  shoot  me,  other  people 
may  do  it ;  but,  any  way,  if  I  live  I  shall  be  Pres- 
ident of  Sacaronduca,  in  which  case  Briggs  by 
his  own  contract  with  Delicia  would  be  out  of  the 
running.  Whereas  if  I  get  knocked  on  the  head 
there  she'll  be  a  widow  as  she  was  before,  and  the 
situation's  unaltered.  You're  serving  Briggs  by 
keeping  her  out  of  that  beast  Maxillo's  fingers, 
and  you  can  salve  your  conscience  with  that." 

We  dropped  the  talk  then,  and  tramped  about 
in  the  dusk  of  the  room  waiting  tediously.  I 
formed  a  thousand  theories  as  to  how  Donna 
Delicia  could  fail  in  her  negotiations.  I  could  by 
no  means  see  how  Jupe  would  be  foolish  enough 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA   229 

to  trust  himself  within  our  reach.  And  always  at 
the  back  of  my  thoughts  loomed  the  sugar  boilers, 
with  fires  lit  beneath,  and  water  seething  and 
bubbling  inside,  and — ugh,  it  makes  my  flesh 
creep  to  remember  that  time  even  now. 

At  last  we  heard  Delicia's  voice  again,  and  then 
Father  Jupe.  My  heart  almost  stood  still  as  I 
listened.  Yes,  they  were  coming  down  the  cor- 
ridor towards  us ;  two  pairs  of  footfalls,  both 
quiet  and  soft  ;  no  others.  I  strained  my  ears  ; 
I  could  swear  there  were  no  others. 

Father  Jupe  said  something,  I  forget  what, 
though  I  know  it  was  droll,  and  Donna  Delicia 
filled  the  corridor  with  laughter,  merry,  light, 
delicious  laughter.  Heavens,  fancy  being  able  to 
laugh  like  that  then  !  What  nerves  that  woman 
had  got. 

They  came  into  the  room,  and  Jupe  said  he  was 
glad  his  gentle  arguments  had  prevailed.  "  I  am 
sure,  seflores,"  said  Father  Jupe,  "that  you  and 
all  the  world  will  congratulate  my  brother  on 

securing  so  charming "  and  there  he  stopped. 

He  saw  Carew  moving  towards  the  bar  of  the  door, 
and  in  an  instant  he  bristled  with  suspicion.  I 
saw  his  hand  dive  towards  a  pocket  of  his  cassock 
which  sagged  down  with  the  outline  of  a  revolver, 
but  I  was  too  quick  for  him.  I  threw  my  arms 
round  him,  and  squeezed  all  the  wind  out  of  his 
body  with  the  first  hug. 

Carew  made  fast  the  door  and  came  up  in  front 


230  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

of  him.  "Now,  Father  Jupe,"  he  said,  "I  need 
scarcely  tell  you  that  if  you  sing  out,  whatever 
happens  to  us,  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to 
take  the  change  out  of  you  before  they  can  break 
down  that  excellent  door  from  the  outside  and 
disturb  us.  You  quite  understand  ?  " 

Jupe  nodded. 

"  There's  something  in  the  pocket  of  your 
cassock  which  spoils  the  hang  of  the  cloth,  and 
doesn't  do  your  tailor  justice.  Permit  me  ?  A 
thousand  thanks.  By  Jove,  my  own  revolver  and 
cartridges.  Jupe,  you  are  a  real  benefactor.  I 
recommend  the  pattern  of  this  gun  to  your  future 
notice  ;  a  four-fifty,  you  see  ;  never  try  the  smaller 
bores :  they  won't  always  stop  a  man." 

Father  Jupe  took  all  this  philosophically — 
which  was  wise  of  him,  seeing  that  he  could 
not  resist ;  and  by  degrees  got  back  his  wind — 
which  was  wiser  still,  in  view  of  possible  emer- 
gencies. 

Carew  went  on : — "  Having  induced  you  to  visit 
us,  amigo,  I  want  you  next  to  give  me  a  little 
professional  assistance.  There  seems  so  much 
marriage  in  the  air  that  Donna  Delicia  and  I 
propose  having  a  wedding  of  our  own — presided 
over  by  you,  Jupe." 

The  priest  set  his  lips  tight  like  a  man  prepared 
to  accept  the  consequences  of  his  words.  "  No," 
he  said,  "  I  will  take  no  part  in  this  sin." 

"  Sin  be  hanged,"  said  Carew.     "  We  are  both 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  231 

of  age,  and  both  know  our  own  minds.  Listen, 
Jupe :  I  publish  the  banns  of  marriage  between 
William  Howard  Motte  Carew,  bachelor,  and 
Delie  Alicia  Spinoza,  widow,  both  at  present  of 
this  parish.  If  any  of  you  know  any  just  cause 
or  impediment — mark  that,  Jupe;  JUST  cause — 
why  these  two  persons  should  not  be  snugly 
married  out  of  harm's  way,  ye  are  now  to  declare 
it." 

"You  are  heretics  for  one  thing,"  said  the 
priest  coldly. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  father.  We  are  both 
members  of  the  church  which  you  adorn." 

Father  Jupe  winced.  "  But  still  I  shall  not 
marry  you,"  he  said,  "  so  you  may  shoot  me  if 
you  choose,  and  get  it  over." 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Carew.  "  We  are 
now  in  the  Tolpec  Mountains,  and  it  may  come 
to  your  memory  that  as  we  rode  here  from  the 
plains  below,  you  brightened  the  way  by  tales 
of  how  the  inhabitants  of  this  district  dealt  with 
captives  who  proved  obdurate.  I  regret,  amigo, 
that  our  apparatus  is  so  scanty,  and  we  cannot 
reproduce  all  their  playful  eccentricities ;  but  we 
have  this  " — he  kicked  the  brazero  with  its  glow- 
ing charcoal  into  the  middle  of  the  floor ;  and 
picked  up  the  red-hot  iron  bar,  and  brought  his 
savage  face  close  to  the  priest — "and  we're 
minded  to  pay  you  back  in  your  own  currency, 
you  torturing  brute." 


232  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  I  saved  you  from  Manuel,"  said  the  priest 
sullenly. 

"  I  know  you  did,  and  we  owe  you  nothing 
there.  You  only  did  it  for  your  own  purposes. 
But  I'm  not  going  to  argue  with  you  further; 
either  you  do  what  I  want,  or  you  take  the  con- 
sequences. If  you  refuse,  you  shall  take  an  hour 
to  die,  and  rue  every  second  of  it." 

"  Let  me  think,"  said  the  priest  huskily. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  let  you  gain  time,"  Carew 
retorted.  He  lifted  the  iron  bar  till  I  myself 
could  feel  the  heat  of  it ;  and  it  must  have 
scorched  Jupe's  face.  "  Hold  him  tight,  Birch, 
and  don't  let  him  squeal ;  we've  heard  a  lot 
about  boiling  and  burning  in  this  infernal  coun- 
try, and  now  we  shall  see  for  ourselves  how  it 
affects  a  man.  I'm  going  to  burn  his  eyes  out 
as  a  commencement." 

The  man  could  have  faced  a  shot,  but  he  shied 
at  torture,  and  I  don't  blame  him.  He  nearly 
wrenched  himself  free  from  my  arms  when  the 
red-hot  iron  came  near  his  face,  and  "  I  give  in," 
he  cried :  "  I'll  marry  you.  Oh,  for  God's  sake, 
Carew,  take  that  cursed  thing  away." 

Carew  stood  back.  "  Very  well,"  he  said,  "  but 
don't  make  such  a  noise  about  it,  or  you'll  wake 
the  place.  And  mind,  don't  you  go  back  on  your 
promise,  Jupe,  or  try  and  burke  the  service,  or 
we'll  mark  you  yet." 

"  I  know  when  I  am  beaten,  sefior." 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  233 

"  Do  you  ?  "  said  Carew. 

"And  you  may  put  your  weapons  away.  I 
have  given  you  my  word." 

"  I  don't  value  your  word  at  a  cracked  nickel. 
Birch,  you  stand  behind  this  man,  and  if  he  tries 
any  pranks,  bottle  him.  Don't  kill,  you  under- 
stand :  break  his  arm.  No,  don't  do  that  either : 
follow  the  custom  of  the  country :  slice  his  ears 
off." 

But  from  this  point  onwards  I  think  the  priest 
gave  Sir  William  Carew  a  lesson  in  dignity.  He 
motioned  to  Donna  Delicia,  who  up  to  this  had 
been  sitting  on  one  of  the  "quatres"  with  face 
hidden  in  her  hands,  and  in  a  quietly  reverent 
voice  asked  her  and  Carew  to  take  their  places 
before  him.  He  might  be  a  place-seeker,  a  semi- 
savage  politician,  a  brigand  and  a  hypocrite  when 
the  mood  suited  him ;  but  under  it  all  he  was  the 
priest  still,  duly  consecrated,  and  duly  empow- 
ered ;  and  as  I  stood  grimly  in  my  place  behind 
him,  I  was  more  than  half  ashamed  of  the  butch- 
er's work  which  had  been  threatened  in  order  to 
bring  about  the  climax. 

It  was  a  queer  scene,  come  to  think  of  it. 
Here  was  the  richest,  most  beautiful,  most  famous 
woman  in  the  country,  celebrating  her  marriage 
not  with  pomp  and  circumstance  in  the  national 
cathedral  as  might  have  been  expected,  but  under 
conditions  separated  only  by  a  hair's  breadth 
from  bloody  tragedy.  The  chapel  was  an  uncon- 


234  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

secrated  chamber  in  a  most  unhallowed  house ; 
for  illumination  there  was  the  silver  moonlight 
from  the  window  which  fell  on  the  heads  and 
shoulders  of  all  the  earnest  group,  and  the  faint 
crimson  glow  from  the  brazero  on  the  unseen 
floor  beneath ;  and  instead  of  sweet  clouds  of 
incense,  there  were  acid  charcoal  fumes  to  touch 
up  the  remembrance. 

The  old  sardonic  manner  had  gone  from  the 
celebrant.  His  very  face  had  changed.  Here  was 
the  ecclesiastic,  and  nothing  more,  and  either  he 
was  a  consummate  actor  (which  I  do  not  care  to 
believe)  or  else  he  was  a  man  of  deep  convictions 
and  did  not  care  to  tamper  with  the  holiness  of 
the  sacrament.  The  affair  had  been  forced  on 
him,  bitterly  against  his  will ;  but  once  the  human 
part  of  him  had  been  defeated,  his  spiritual  half 
took  the  matter  up  and  carried  through  the  cere- 
mony with  an  impressiveness  which  showed  how 
deeply  he  felt  its  deep  and  holy  significance. 

He  made  them  man  and  wife  according  to  the 
ritual  of  his  church,  bestowed  his  benediction  as  a 
priest  of  that  church,  and  for  ever  set  Donna  De- 
licia  beyond  the  reach  of  his  brother  Maxillo,  so 
long  as  Sir  William  Carew  should  live. 

But  how  long  had  Carew  to  live  ?  That  was  the 
question  which  worried  me.  As  that  weird  mar- 
riage service  was  drawing  to  its  end,  someone  came 
to  the  door  of  the  chamber  and  called  for  Father 
Jupe  with  lusty  vigour.  Upon  which,  on  getting 


MARRIAGE  OF  DONNA  DELICIA  235 

no  reply,  he  had  fallen  to  rattling  the  sneck ;  and 
as  this  produced  no  vestige  of  a  reply  he  had  de- 
parted cursing,  and  would  probably  in  a  very  short 
time  bring  other  inquisitors,  and  a  key  in  the 
shape  of  an  axe  to  break  the  door. 

It  did  not  seem  to  me  that  we  had  any  of  us 
bettered  our  condition.  The  best  that  Carewand 
I  could  hope  for  would  be  permission  to  die  fight- 
ing, and  though  Donna  Delicia  certainly  had 
changed  her  name,  she  would  still  be  a  widow,  as 
before,  and  liable  to  more  of  Maxillo's  attentions. 
Yes,  I  didn't  see  that  we  had  bettered  ourselves 
one  little  bit,  and  I  was  itching  with  impatience 
to  get  it  over.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  wait  on  the 
threshold  of  the  next  world  like  that.  And  as 
soon  as  the  service  ended  I  said  my  say. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

OVER  THE   HILLS    AND   FAR  AWAY 

THAT  strange  marriage  service  came  solemnly 
to  an  end,  and  Father  Jupe  put  back  the  tattered 
missal  in  the  pocket  of  his  cassock.  "  Lady 
Carew,"  I  said  from  my  post  behind  him,  "  may  I 
be  the  first  to  give  you  your  new  name  and  to 
wish  you  much  happiness?" 

Her  pale  face  flushed  to  a  sudden  pink.  She 
had  taken  the  step  irrevocably  now,  and  married 
a  man  whom  twenty  minutes  before  she  had  never 
thought  of  except  as  an  acquaintance ;  and  even 
for  her  lively  ideas  it  must  have  been  somewhat 
of  a  shock.  But  she  thanked  me  for  my  congrat- 
ulations very  prettily  and  collectedly  ;  and  asked 
me  what  was  to  be  done  next.  "  It  is  you  that  I 
am  thinking  of,  gentlemen,"  she  said.  "  For  my- 
self I  shall  be  quite  safe  here  ^now ;  you  need 
have  no  fear  on  that  score.  At  least  I  shall  be 
safe  so  long  as  my — as  Sir  William  keeps  away 
from  harm." 

"  Delicia,"  said  Carew,  "  you  make  my  life  seem 
quite  valuable.  You  may  trust  me  to  take 

eminent  care  of  it."     In  the  moonlight  from  the 
236 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY  237 

window  I  saw  his  face  was  full  of  smiles,  and  it 
struck  me  that  he  was  rather  more  elated  than 
the  circumstances  warranted.  I  don't  think  any- 
one would  have  cared  to  have  insured  either  his 
life  or  mine  for  anything  short  of  cent,  per  cent, 
just  then. 

However,  if  he  was  pleased  with  results  so  far, 
he  was  by  no  means  a  man  to  let  his  exultation 
interfere  with  his  care  for  the  future.  He  nodded 
across  at  Jupe,  and  thanked  him  for  marrying 
them  ;  "  and,"  said  he,  "  if  circumstances  permit, 
I'll  see  that  you  have  your  personal  fee  when  the 
time  comes.  You  spoke  about  a  wish  to  be  arch- 
bishop of  Dolores.  When  I  am  made  President  I'll 
manage  that  the  see  shall  be  left  vacant  for  your 
acceptance.  You  are  a  very  capable  man,  Jupe, 
and  you  know  which  side  your  bread's  buttered. 
Once  you're  archbishop  you'll  be  far  too  sensible 
to  plot  against  the  man  who  put  you  there." 

"  I  should  take  none  of  your  favours,"  said  the 
priest  sullenly. 

"  Haven't  I  bid  high  enough  ?  Shall  you  make 
it  a  point  that  I  approach  Rome  to  get  a  hat  for 
you  ?  Do  you  think  you'd  make  a  good  cardinal, 
Father  Jupe?" 

The  priest  writhed.  "  I  have  married  you  under 
compulsion,"  said  he.  "  You  may  want  me  to 
perform  another  office  of  the  holy  church  before 
long." 

"  Extreme  unction,"  said  Carew.    "  I  think  not. 


238  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

But  that  reminds  me,  Jupe.  I  do  want  another 
service  at  your  hands,  but  it  is  an  entirely  tem- 
poral service  this  time,  so  your  conscience  need 
have  no  further  qualms.  With  your  help,  Birch 
and  I  intend  to  leave  this  valley  now,  with  the 
smallest  possible  delay." 

"  You  have  seen  how  the  pass  is  guarded  ;  you 
can  guess  what  orders  the  men  there  hold  from 
my  brother." 

"  Precisely,"  said  Carew.  "  So  I  should  suggest 
that  we  make  our  exit  by  the  other  road.  I  think 
you'll  understand  me,  Jupe,  when  I  say  the  other 
road?" 

Now  as  I  guessed  at  the  time,  and  as  Carew 
owned  to  me  afterwards,  this  was  neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  bluff  on  his  part ;  he  guessed  there 
might  be  a  second  exit  from  the  valley,  and  if 
there  was  not,  no  harm  had  been  done  by  the 
suggestion.  However,  Jupe's  face  made  suspicion 
a  certainty.  He  was  visibly  startled.  And  then 
he  tried  to  sneer  the  proposal  away.  "If  you  and 
Birch  have  wings,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  be  delighted 
to  help  the  valley  be  rid  of  you." 

"  I  should  think  fins  would  be  more  to  the  point," 
said  Carew.  He  told  me  later  that  he  suddenly 
remembered  to  have  seen  a  flowing  stream  as  we 
rode  across  the  valley  floor,  which  certainly  must 
have  an  exit  beyond  the  mountain  chain  some- 
where, and  which  certainly  did  not  flow  out 
through  the  defended  cafion.  "  But  we  should 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY  239 

prefer,"  he  added,  "  to  be  your  debtors  for  a 
boat." 

"  There  is  no  boat,"  said  Jupe  sulkily.  "  I  be- 
lieve only  one  man  has  ever  got  down  the  rapids, 
and  he  did  it  by  swimming.  How  many  have 
been  drowned  there,  I  can't  tell.  A  man  must  be 
pretty  hard  pressed  to  try  it." 

"  Let  me  flatter  you,"  said  Carew,  "  by  admit- 
ting that  Birch  and  I  are  pretty  hard  pressed,  and 
I  must  ask  you  to  hurry.  It  amazes  me  that  we 
have  been  left  undisturbed  so  long." 

"  Oh,"  said  Jupe  ruefully,  "  my  brother  knows 
I'm  here,  and  he  thinks  I  am  quite  able  to  take 
care  of  myself  and  you,  too." 

"  Your  brother,  I  take  it,  is  a  revengeful  man. 
Perhaps  a  change  of  air  would  be  as  good  for  your 
health  as  it  will  be  for  ours." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jupe.  "  I  don't  think  my  brother 
will  ever  forgive  me  for  this  last  few  minutes' 
work — so  long  as  it  stands,  that  is.  Yes,  I  will 
come  with  you,  gentlemen." 

"  And  try  and  kill  us  when  you  have  an  oppor- 
tunity, and  earn  your  pardon  by  taking  back  the 
news  ?  Well,  Jupe,  we  are  two  to  your  one,  and 
we  are  neither  of  us  squeamish,  and  we  under- 
stand your  feelings  to  a  nicety.  If  you  don't  get 
us  clear  of  the  hacienda,  one  or  other  of  us  will 
kill  you  whatever  else  happens  ;  and  if  you  try 
any  unpleasant  pranks  afterwards,  we'll  knock 
you  on  the  head  as  cheerfully  as  we'd_  shoot  that, 


240  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

old  goat  of  a  brother  of  yours.  And  so  on  the 
whole,  you  see,  we  shall  make  delightful  travelling 
companions.  Let's  shake  hands  over  the  bargain." 
Which,  oddly  enough,  we  did. 

"  We  mustn't  waste  any  more  time,"  said  the 
priest.  "  I  must  take  you  away  from  this  at 
once." 

"  Yes,  go,  go,"  said  Donna  Delicia.  "  I  shall — 
I  shall  faint,  or  do  something  silly  if  you  keep 
me  on  this  strain  much  longer.  Good-bye,  Mr. 
Birch."  (She  pressed  my  hand  in  both  of  hers.) 
"  Good-bye,  Sir  William." 

"  Has  my  bride  got  no  warmer  a  farewell  than 
that  ?  "  asked  Carew  whimsically. 

With  an  effort  she  pulled  herself  together,  and 
shot  a  glance  at  him  from  her  eyes.  "  You  may 
kiss  my  hand." 

He  knelt  on  one  knee,  and  did  it,  with  a  courtly 
reverence. 

Her  face  flushed  a  sudden  pink.  "  You  shall  do 
more,"  she  said.  "  You  are  a  brave  man,  and  I 
like  brave  men ;  you  are  a  better  man,  too,  than 
you  think ;  and,  after  all,  you  are  my  husband. 
You  may  kiss  my  lips — once." 

He  drew  her  gently  to  him;  and  leaned  down 
over  her  face.  Father  Jupe  turned  towards  the 
door.  I  did  the  same.  "  Good-bye,  Delicia,"  he 
said,  very  quietly. 

"  Good-bye,  Billy,"  I   heard  her  whisper  back. 

Father  Jupe  thrust  back  the  bar  in  its  socket, 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FARAWAY  241 

and  gingerly  opened  the  door  and  stepped  into 
the  empty  echoing  corridor.  I  followed,  with  a 
short  machete  I  had  taken  from  underneath  his 
cassock,  quite  ready  to  cut  him  down  if  his  game 
was  treachery,  and  treading  on  my  heels  came 
Carew,  with  revolver  muzzle  upwards,  level  with 
his  cheek,  ready  to  shoot  on  the  instant. 

A  chatter  of  talk  rattled  down  the  corridor  from 
the  portico  beyond,  and  Jupe  led  on  towards  it, 
treading  with  niceness,  so  as  not  to  let  his  foot- 
steps sound.  On  ahead  there  was  no  light ;  above, 
below,  and  on  each  side  of  us  were  bare  plastered 
walls ;  the  tiny  glow  from  the  room  we  had  left 
soon  died  away,  and  the  darkness  was  almost 
solid.  Did  this  devil  of  a  priest  think  to  give  us 
the  slip  in  the  gloom  ?  I  doubted  him  perfectly. 
But  I  had  no  notion  that  he  should  sell  us  with- 
out paying  the  price,  and  so  I  laid  hold  of  the 
slack  of  his  cassock  behind,  and  cleared  my  right 
arm  so  that  I  could  split  his  skull  with  the 
heavy  machete  the  moment  I  decided  he  was 
betraying  us. 

I  suppose  I  ought  to  feel  ashamed  of  myself 
now  for  distrusting  the  man  when  after  all  he  was 
really  doing  what  he  had  contracted,  but  on  the 
whole  I  do  not.  Personally  I  am  quite  convinced 
that  Jupe  Maxillo  would  have  sold  the  pair  of  us 
gladly  if  he  could  have  done  it  with  advantage  to 
himself  and  would  not  most  certainly  have  been 

knocked  into  the  next  world  in  the  progress.     He 
16 


242  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

understood  that  he  had  two  coolly  desperate  men 
to  deal  with,  who  would  risk  a  good  deal  to  escape 
his  brother's  sugar  boilers,  and  so  he  accepted  the 
inevitable,  and  saved  his  own  life  by  doing  as  he 
was  told.  There  are  not  many  men  in  this  world 
who,  when  it  came  to  the  point,  would  have  done 
anything  else. 

However,  as  it  was,  he  stopped  when  we  had 
crept  some  fifteen  yards  down  the  corridor,  and 
turned  the  handle  of  a  door  in  the  wall.  I  pressed 
the  flat  of  the  machete  against  his  head  as  a  hint 
to  be  wary,  but  he  pushed  the  door  open  con- 
fidently enough  and  went  inside.  We  followed. 
We  were  in  another  room,  much  the  same  as  the 
one  we  had  left,  except  that  this  held  a  staircase. 
It  was  lit  by  the  moonlight,  and,  being  white- 
washed, showed  up  plainly  enough.  The  moon- 
light showed  also  another  thing,  and  that  was  a 
table  covered  with  books  and  papers.  This  gave 
Carew  an  idea. 

He  cautiously  closed-to  the  door  behind  him, 
and  then  said  he,  "  By  Jove,  we've  forgotten  a 
very  serious  item  in  the  wedding.  The  bride 
hasn't  got  her  marriage  lines." 

Father  Jupe  nodded,  and  seated  himself  at  the 
table.  "  I'm  willing  to  convince  you  of  my  bona 
fides  in  every  reasonable  way  I  can,  Carew.  I 
will  write  out  the  usual  form  if  you  like,  and  we 
can  go  back  and  get  the  lady  to  sign  it." 

But  this  was  a  bit  too  much  extra  risk  even  for 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY  243 

him.  There  seemed  a  glimmer  of  a  chance  now 
that  we  might  escape,  and  no  one  but  a  madman 
would  have  delayed  for  such  a  triviality.  So  he 
said  :  "  Well,  write  this — '  For  reasons  of  my  own 
I  have  formally  and  legally  married  Donna  Deli- 
cia  to  Sir  William  Carew/  and  then  sign  it  with 
your  own  name." 

The  priest  bit  his  lip  ;  it  was  clear  the  form  of 
words  jarred  upon  him  ;  but  he  probably  reflected 
that  Maxillo's  enmity  would  be  so  great  against 
him  anyhow  that  this  document  could  scarcely 
add  to  it.  So  he  wrote  what  was  dictated,  and 
signed  his  name  at  the  foot  with  a  regular  Span- 
iard's  maze  of  flourishes.  He  peppered  sand  over 
it  to  dry  the  ink,  ran  the  sand  back  into  its 
castor,  and  handed  on  the  document  to  the  bride- 
groom. 

"  Much  obliged,"  said  Carew,  "  but  we'll  leave 
it  here."  He  built  a  pile  of  books,  and  placed 
the  paper  conspicuously.  "  And  now,  my  dear 
Jupe,  once  more  we  have  the  honour  to  wait  for 
your  lead." 

"  Up  the  stairs  then,  and  on  to  the  roof." 

He  showed  us  the  way,  and  we  followed,  and 
still  as  a  precaution  I  kept  a  grip  on  his  cassock. 

The  staircase  did  not  go  straight.  It  twisted 
and  turned  through  the  buildings,  making  con- 
nections with  other  rooms  ;  and  once,  as  we  came 
on  to  a  half  pace,  I  heard  voices  in  discussion 
close  at  the  other  side  of  a  door.  But  we  all 


244  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

three  trod  our  way  like  cats,  and  in  the  end  came 
out  on  the  flat  concreted  roof,  just  then  lit  as" 
bright  as  day  by  the  moonlight. 

There  was  a  parapet  all  round  the  roof,  and  so 
we  were  fairly  safe  from  being  spied  at  from  be- 
low, but  to  make  sure  that  no  one  was  stirring 
beyond  the  walls  we  peeped  over  each  side  in 
succession  and  searched  the  surroundings  with  in- 
dustry. No ;  unless  there  was  anyone  in  close 
hiding  amongst  the  trees — which  was  unlikely — 
the  place  was  deserted,  except  for  some  outbuild- 
ings which  showed  lights,  but  which  we  decided 
would  not  have  to  count.  So  the  next  thing  was 
to  get  to  the  ground. 

How  this  was  to  be  managed  I  didn't  see.  I 
had  expected  an  external  staircase,  a  common  ad- 
dition to  native  architecture.  But  the  hacienda 
was  something  of  a  fortress — or  could  be  used 
as  such  on  occasion — and  the  Maxillo  who  built 
it  had  evidently  no  wish  unnecessarily  to  weaken 
his  defences.  However,  the  priest  had  a  way  out 
of  the  difficulty.  'There  was  a  long  pole  lying  on 
the  roof,  which  I  fancy  at  some  time  or  other  had 
been  used  as  a  flagstaff,  and  which,  I  grimly 
thought,  would  have  been  used  for  that  purpose 
again  on  the  morrow  if  Maxillo's  plans  had  gone 
off  as  he  intended ;  and  this  pole  with  some  dif- 
ficulty we  managed  to  get  6n  the  parapet  and 
lower  vertically  down  the  wall. 

We  chose  the  side  of  the  house  away  from  the 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FARAWAY  245 

moon  so  as  not  to  throw  an  unnecessary  shadow 
across  any  of  the  windows  ;  but  the  wood  squeaked 
and  jarred  abominably,  however  careful  we  might 
be,  and  I  know  my  heart  was  bumping  all  the 
time  we  handled  it.  But  at  last  we  got  the  pole 
fairly  up  and  down  the  wall,  and  Carew  nipped 
over  the  parapet  and  lowered  himself  briskly  away 
into  the  shadow  of  the  dusty  ground  below. 

"  The  Church  next,"  said  I,  and  Father  Jupe, 
like  a  sensible  man,  did  as  he  was  bade  and  fol- 
lowed, and  I  climbed  down  the  pole  close  above 
his  head,  so  that  he  might  be  up  to  no  pranks 
when  he  was  out  of  our  immediate  reach.  I 
didn't  quite  know  what  mischief  he  might  find 
ready  to  his  hand  during  that  transit  ;  but  I  had 
a  high  opinion  of  his  cleverness,  and  I  don't  mind 
repeating  that  I  had  the  strongest  possible  dis- 
trust of  the  man.  However,  we  all  three  got  into 
the  black  shadow  at  the  base  of  the  building 
without  any  alarm  being  spread,  and  set  off  over 
the  soft  carpet  of  dust  towards  a  gap  between  the 
encircling  outbuildings. 

The  moon  hung  up  in  a  clear  sky  like  a  great 
glowing  silver  coin,  and  I  have  never  been  less 
pleased  to  see  it.  The  shadows  were  to  our  taste ; 
but  out  of  the  shadows — and  we  had  to  leave 
them  sometimes — we  were  an  open  advertise- 
ment. There  was  a  quite  a  little  settlement  of 
outbuildings  to  pass  through  before  we  got  into 
the  fields  beyond,  and  if  there  had  been  anyone 


246  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

with  eyes,  by  no  possibility  could  we  have  missed 
being  seen. 

Once  indeed  we  did  have  a  horrid  alarm.  As 
we  rounded  the  angle  of  one  of  the  stone  build- 
ings, a  voice  spoke  out  close  at  our  elbows.  We 
stopped  in  our  tracks  as  though  we  had  been 
frozen  there,  and  I  laid  suggestive  fingers  on 
Jupe's  cassock.  A  second  voice — a  woman's — 
took  up  the  talk  ;  and  the  first  answered  back ; 
and  then  came  the  sound  of  unmistakable  caresses 
and  fondlings. 

In  the  course  of  journeyings  I  have  been  in 
Louisiana  and  Cuba,  and  know  an  "  ingenio " 
when  I  see  one,  and  am  well  acquainted  with  the 
scent  of  boiling  sugar.  The  knowledge  did  not 
comfort  me  then;  I  recognised  in  a  moment  that 
we  were  leaning  against  the  wall  of  the  very 
torture  house  with  which  Maxillo  had  threatened 
us  ;  and  there  for  a  mortal  twenty  minutes  we 
had  to  stop  and  listen  to  the  silly  love-sentences 
of  that  pair  of  tools  who  were  not  a  yard  away 
from  us.  They  were  parishioners  of  Father  Jupe, 
and  it  was  plain  to  learn  that  their  love-making 
was  none  of  the  most  orthodox.  Jupe  was  hear- 
ing the  confession  with  obvious  distaste,  and  if  one 
could  judge  by  a  face,  the  pair  of  them  were  in 
for  a  thumping  penance  if  ever  their  pastor  got 
within  reach  of  them  again.  I  suppose  there  was 
humour  in  the  situation,  but  I'm  sure  we  all  of  us 
quite  failed  to  see  it  then. 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY  247 

However,  at  last  they  wound  up  the  interview 
with  one  long  last  ecstatic  kiss — heavens,  how  long 
a  kiss  can  seem  sometimes — and  took  themselves 
slowly  off  ;  and  once  more  we  got  under  way  and 
left  the  unpleasantly  suggestive  neighbourhood  of 
the  boilers.  Another  minute  and  we  were  clear 
of  the  buildings  altogether ;  another  five  and  we 
were  walking  quickly  down  a  track  between  stalks 
of  Indian  corn  which  rose  on  either  side  of  us  eight 
feet  high. 

Carew,  as  being  the  man  with  the  gun,  brought 
up  the  rear  now ;  the  priest  led,  and  I  stepped  close 
behind  his  heels  and  laid  an  occasional  hand  on 
the  skirt  of  his  cassock,  as  a  hint  that  I  was  quite 
ready  to  stop  him  if  he  tried  a  bolt. 

Through  corn,  through  maize  and  sorghum, 
through  grass  land  and  sweet  potato  fields  we 
kept  on  in  this  order  at  the  best  of  our  pace  for 
the  rest  of  that  night,  talking  little,  so  as  to  save 
all  our  wind  for  the  walk.  They  must  have  dis- 
covered our  absence  by  that  time  one  would  think, 
but  still  there  was  no  sound  of  pursuit.  Probably 
Maxillo  rested  satisfied  with  the  idea  that  we 
could  not  get  out  of  the  valley,  and  promised  him- 
self the  luxury  of  hunting  us  down  by  daylight 
and  at  his  leisure. 

Nearer  and  nearer  we  drew  to  the  enormous 
wall  of  stone  which  ringed  the  valley  round,  and 
even  when  the  moon  had  grown  faint  against  on- 
coming day,  nowhere  could  I  see  a  break  in  the 


248  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

towering  crags.  So  steep  were  they  that  they 
hardly  looked  like  natural  mountains — as  one 
stared  at  them  in  that  grey  light  of  dawn  they 
gave  one  the  idea  of  a  vast  wall  of  titanic  slabs 
built  up  with  sweat  and  toil  and  labour  by  some 
forgotten  race  of  giants.  And,  as  I  say,  nowhere 
did  an  outlet  show  itself.  Ever  and  again  we 
came  upon  a  bend  of  the  stream,  and  a  minute  later 
were  leaving  it  as  it  swerved  off  on  its  serpentine 
course  ;  and  every  time  we  struck  it  the  volume 
of  water  had  increased.  It  flowed  onwards  round 
its  curves  with  a  gentle  purr,  and  though  it  some- 
times dissipated  for  a  mile  or  two  into  marsh  and 
reedy  tarn,  it  always  came  out  again,  clear  and 
musical,  at  the  further  side,  and  always,  despite  its 
flirtings,  made  headway  towards  the  vast  stone 
barrier  beyond. 

It  was  evident  that  the  priest  was  growing  very 
weary.  Walking  is  not  cultivated  in  Sacaronduca 
amongst  the  better  classes ;  indeed,  there  is  a 
local  saying  to  the  effect  that  any  man  who  can 
afford  it  will  take  a  horse  even  if  he  is  only  going 
to  cross  a  street.  But  I  will  say  he  stuck  to  it 
gamely,  and,  moreover,  Carew  and  I  were  able  to 
feel  for  him,  as  we  were  more  than  a  little  tired 
ourselves.  When  we  had  taken  our  first  look  upon 
the  expanse  of  the  valley  we  had  put  it  down  as 
a  nice  snug  little  retreat ;  but  when  we  came  to 
measure  it  up  with  footsteps  we  had  a  much  more 
respectful  idea  of  its  size. 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY  249 

However,  it  was  obvious  that  we  were  coming 
rapidly  to  the  end  of  our  walk.  The  foot  of  the 
vast  crags  was  less  than  a  mile  away  now,  and 
although  any  break  in  them  still  refused  to  show, 
it  was  a  certain  thing  that  the  stream  must  have 
passage  somewhere  to  empty  into  the  sea.  What 
the  nature  of  that  passage  was  we  had  got  to  find 
out.  It  might  merely  be  an  underground  filter,  it 
might  be  a  tunnel,  it  might  be  a  narrow  gutter 
of  a  cafion ;  and  again  the  pace  of  the  stream  in 
this  outlet,  whatever  it  might  be,  was  by  no  means 
guaranteed  gentle.  In  fact,  from  the  beginning, 
Father  Jupe  had  given  the  poorest  opinion  of  its 
practicableness  for  our  purpose. 

However,  as  we  drew  nearer,  the  rush  and  the 
clash  of  falling  water  began  to  announce  themselves 
by  noise,  and  a  great  wall  of  the  cliff  commenced 
to  separate  out  from  the  mass  till  it  showed  us  a 
lean  alley  of  a  cafion  leading  with  windings  and 
turns  into  the  very  heart  of  that  huge  barrier  of 
stone,  and  the  stream  with  noisy  falls  and  rapids 
gushing  along  its  base.  And  just  about  that  time 
we  learned  for  a  definite  fact  that  Maxillo  had 
sent  after  us  a  force  which  would  put  successful 
resistance  (if  they  came  in  contact  with  us)  entirely 
out  of  the  question. 

We  saw  them  topping  a  bit  of  a  grass-covered 
rise,  and  counted  some  twenty  men  on  horseback 
and  another  score  on  foot.  Up  till  then  they  had 
not  been  especially  hurrying  themselves,  relying 


250  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

probably  on  the  belief  that  we  could  not  get  beyond 
the  barriers  of  the  valley,  and  promising  them- 
selves the  sport  of  hunting  us  down  at  their  leisure. 
But  when  they  saw  us  persistently  bending  for 
this  river  canon,  they  grasped  the  fact  that  there 
was  a  possibility  of  losing  us  even  then,  and  so 
the  cavalry  left  the  others  and  came  on  over  the 
rough  ground  as  fast  as  their  horses  could  carry 
them. 

We  on  our  part  brisked  up.  We  had  tasted  the 
sweets  of  escape,  and  did  not  want  to  be  killed 
now  if  it  could  be  avoided  ;  and  though  the  boil 
of  water  in  the  canon  was  far  from  appetising,  we 
had  a  strong  inclination  for  giving  Maxillo's 
braves  the  complete  go-bye  and  taking  the  chances 
of  the  stream  as  they  arrived. 

It  was  a  case  of  dragging  to  get  the  priest  on 
the  last  hundred  yards,  but  I  lugged  him  along 
somehow.  And  at  last  we  got  to  the  outermost 
barrier  of  the  canon,  and,  dry-shod,  at  any  rate,  we 
could  go  no  further. 

Father  Jupe  turned  to  me  with  a  little  spit  of 
anger.  "  Take  your  infernal  fingers  off  my 
clothes,  Mr.  Birch,"  he  snapped. 

"Yes,  don't  bully  the  man  so,"  said  Carew  ; 
upon  which  I  swore  back  at  him,  and  the  three  of 
us  started  a  wrangle  which  very  nearly  resulted  in 
blows. 

A  little  kick  of  dust  thrown  up  by  a  rifle  shot 
from  beneath  our  feet  had  the  effect  of  calming  us 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FARAWAY  251 

somewhat  for  the  time  being.  Other  bullets 
began  to  whizz  past  us  viciously.  Seven  of  the 
riders  had  dismounted  and  were  firing  from  the 
knee  as  fast  as  they  could  load  ;  the  others,  who 
had  only  revolvers,  were  coming  on  alongside  the 
line  of  fire  with  all  the  pace  their  horses  could  give 
them. 

"  Oh,  stop  this  row,"  said  Carew.  "  You  and  I 
must  be  off,  Birch." 

"  Yes,"  said  I.  "  There's  an  account  between 
us  that  has  to  be  formally  settled." 

"  And  I'm  as  keen  to  get  it  squared  up,  my 
man,  as  you  are.  So,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  don't 
keep  harping  on  the  matter,  when  you  know  quite 
well  we  haven't  got  a  pair  of  even  weapons 
amongst  us.  Jupe,  my  friend,  you  are  at  the  end 
of  your  usefulness ;  you  may  stay  behind  now." 

"  Gracias,  senor,  for  the  permission.  But  how 
if  I  do  not  choose  to  stay  ?  I  fancy  this  marriage 
question  has  made  the  Tolpec  district  unhealthy 
for  me  for  the  present." 

"  And  so,"  muttered  Carew,  "  you  want  to  earn 
your  pardon  by  making  Delicia  a  widow  again  ?  " 
A  bullet  sent  a  splash  of  gravel  stinging  into  his 
face.  "  Here,  one  of  those  tailors  will  hit  us  in  a 
minute." 

He  stepped  down  into  the  rocky  bed  of  the 
stream,  where  the  high  stone  bank  gave  protection 
from  the  firing  till  the  riflemen  should  come 
nearer.  I  got  in  after  him,  the  water  coming  well 


252  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

up  to  my  armpits.  But  Father  Jupe  was  quicker 
than  either  of  us.  He  dropped  down  flop  into 
the  water,  his  rusty  cassock  filling  out  like  a  balloon 
and  keeping  his  feet  off  the  river  floor.  The 
heavy  stream  threw  his  shoulders  forward  ;  and  he 
was  swept  away  down  the  current  before  either  of 
us  could  lay  a  finger  on  him.  There  was  only  one 
way  to  stop  him,  and  that  was  by  shooting,  and  I 
fancy  Carew  had  half  a  mind  to  do  it  at  once  and 
get  it  over.  But  on  second  thoughts  he  left  his  re- 
volver where  it  was,  and  started  off,  half  wading 
and  half  swimming,  down  the  stream.  I  brought 
up  the  rear. 

For  a  while  we  were  free  from  the  rifle-fire,  and 
were  able  to  give  all  our  attention  to  making  a 
passage  down  this  swirling  lane  of  water.  It  was 
no  easy  matter,  either.  Sometimes  we  were  in 
shallows  scarcely  ankle  deep  ;  sometimes  we  were 
swimming  in  oily  overfalls  and  rapids ;  and  next 
moment  we  would  probably  be  shooting  like  fish 
between  a  pair  of  smooth  black  rocks  which 
spouted  with  spray  and  did  their  best  to  drag  us 
under  the  surface.  For  Carew's  swimming  powers 
I  would  have  given  a  certificate  any  time  ;  but  the 
priest  certainly  surprised  me  with  his  cleverness 
in  the  water. 

Personally,  I  swim  like  the  average  incompe- 
tent, can  keep  myself  afloat  with  ease  when 
stripped,  if  the  water  is  decently  warm,  but  from 
want  of  practice  soon  tire,  and  make  a  very  poor 


OVER  THE  HILLS  AND  FARAWAY  253 

performance  of  it  when  weighted  with  clothes. 
Swimming  down  a  torrent,  too,  was  a  new  expe- 
rience for  me ;  and  as  I  cannot  rid  myself  of  a 
sensation  of  drowning  when  my  head  goes  under 
the  surface  for  many  seconds  together,  I  very  soon 
got  extremely  breathless,  and  (to  tell  the  truth) 
not  a  little  water-logged.  Added  to  which  dis- 
comforts we  got  under  rifle-fire  again,  and  the 
bullets  hit  the  water  all  round  us  with  little  spouts 
and  geysers. 

I  had  only  one  consolation  about  that  final 
bombardment.  Father  Jupe  stood  an  equal  share 
of  its  inconveniences.  And,  moreover,  wherever 
that  rushing,  hurrying  stream  took  me,  it  took 
Carew  and  the  priest  also.  There  was  the  boom 
of  a  deep  fall  from  somewhere  close  ahead.  I 
might  be  killed  in  going  over  that,  but  it  was  a 
grim  satisfaction  to  remark  that  my  two  enemies, 
and  fellow-fugitives,  stood  an  equal  risk. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

SUCCESS  WANTED,    NOT  EXCUSE 

THE  bullets  whooped  through  the  water,  or  spat 
viciously  against  the  rocks,  but  the  swirls  of  cur- 
rent swept  us  to  this  side  and  to  that  like  corks 
in  a  flooded  gutter,  and  so  through  no  device  of 
our  own  we  made  but  indifferent  targets.  Still,  if 
lead  enough  was  expended,  there  was  a  chance 
that  one  or  other  of  us  might  get  hit,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  fellows  blazed  away  whilst  we 
were  in  range  as  fast  as  they  could  shift  car- 
tridges. 

But  the  contour  of  the  cafton  came  to  our  assist- 
ance. The  rattle  and  vibration  of  the  firing 
abruptly  ceased,  and  the  lingering  echoes  of  it 
died  away  amongst  the  rocky  walls.  We  had  all  had 
our  narrow  shaves,  of  course,  but  as  it  turned  out 
none  of  us  had  been  so  much  as  grazed  by  that 
lead  storm.  I  looked  up  for  a  second  from  my 
struggle  with  the  waters,  and  threw  a  glance  be- 
hind. The  canon  had  twisted;  we  were  in  a  reach 
now  at  right  angles  to  the  last ;  and  we  had  left 
the  rifle-fire  behind  us.  We  had  left  also  all 

chance  of  harm  from  Maxillo's  men  unless  they 
254 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   255 

chose  to  follow  us,  which,  in  view  of  the  terrific 
appearance  of  the  route,  was  unlikely.  For  a 
handy  swimmer,  a  passage  down  the  canon  there 
might  be,  though  that  we  had  got  to  learn  ;  but  a 
passage  back  to  the  valley  there  certainly  was 
not,  since  no  human  man  could  have  swum 
against  those  rapids  and  the  sluice  of  that  stream  ; 
and  other  means  of  warping  along  there  were 
none. 

However,  if  we  had  successfully  left  this  Scylla 
behind  there  was  a  very  good  imitation  of  Cha- 
rybdis  in  front.  Our  ears  told  us  of  its  nearness, 
and  the  danger  of  it  branded  itself  on  our  brains 
in  aching  letters.  If  there  is  one  sound  in  Nature 
which  is  unmistakable,  that  sound  is  the  roar  of  a 
great  waterfall ;  and  the  deep  diapason  of  the  cas- 
cading river  ahead  grew  louder  and  fuller  every 
second  as  we  raced  towards  it. 

Already  I  was  heavily  wearied  with  the  swim- 
ming ;  my  highest  ambition  was  to  keep  my  mouth 
and  nose  free  from  the  water ;  and,  in  fact,  I  nav- 
igated myself  like  a  log  in  a  rapid.  Carew  and 
the  priest  were  much  the  same  ;  and  even  if  there 
had  been  any  chance  of  getting  out  of  the  race  of 
the  stream,  I  do  not  think  they  could  have  man- 
aged it  any  more  than  myself.  But  as  it  happened 
there  was  not.  The  walls  of  the  canon  rose  up 
on  either  side  of  us  as  smooth  and  sheer  as  the 
walls  of  a  dock,  and  quite  unscalable  ;  and  every 
second  the  bellowing  fall  ahead  grew  more  near. 


256  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

I  fancy  then  that  we  all  expected  to  be  smashed 
up  into  the  smallest  kind  of  pulp  within  the  next 
minute,  but  we  had  enough  doggedness  left  to  keep 
on  swimming  and  wait  till  execution  actually  came. 

But  then  our  headlong  progress  slackened.  We 
found  ourselves  in  a  kind  of  back-wash,  close  on 
the  lip  of  the  fall  itself,  and  in  the  swirling  boil  of 
waters  which  existed  there  we  simmered  round 
and  round,  in  company  with  a  scum  of  grasses,  a 
drowned  ox,  and  scraps  of  other  flotsam,  till  we 
were  spewed  up  on  a  narrow  ribbon  of  shingle  and 
left  there  to  drain. 

Father  Jupe  sighed  quietly.  "What  a  blessed 
taste  of  ease." 

"  Heavenly,"  said  Carew.  "  We've  been  through 
hades,  and  quite  possibly  there's  worse  to  follow. 
But  for  the  present  it's  heavenly."  (He  coughed 
and  spat  out  more  water.)  "  Birch,  you  refused  to 
drink  with  me  once,  but  I  bet  you'd  do  it  now  if 
we'd  a  pint  of  whisky  in  camp.  Lucky  this 
water's  moderately  warm  or  we'd  never  have  got 
through  it  all." 

Nobody  spoke  much  after  that,  and  we  lay 
where  we  were  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour.  It 
was  pretty  chilly.  No  ray  of  sunshine  got  to  us 
of  course.  Indeed,  so  deep  was  the  cafton,  and 
so  steep  were  the  walls,  that  at  the  level  of  the 
stream  nothing  ever  struggled  down  brighter  than 
a  dim  grey  twilight.  And  added  to  this  an  air 
was  blowing  up  from  the  caflon,  sodden  with 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE  257 

water  from  the  falls  and  the  spouting  rapids,  which 
came  to  us  dank  and  cold  as  a  sea  fog.  So  there 
was  little  enough  comfort  to  be  found  in  waiting 
overlong. 

We  soon  started  searching  with  our  eyes  for  a 
possible  track  downwards  otherwise  than  through 
the  water,  but  with  small  enough  success.  The 
beach  of  shingle  where  we  rested  was  a  mere  ledge  ; 
on  the  other  side  of  the  cafton  the  boil  of  back- 
wash creamed  up  against  the  vertical  wall  itself ; 
and  down  stream  we  could  see  nothing  for  the 
twilight  and  the  water  smoke  from  the  fall.  How- 
ever, if  there  was  a  path,  the  sooner  we  found  it 
the  better ;  and  if  there  wasn't,  we  might  as  well 
break  our  necks  prospecting,  and  get  it  over. 

Here  was  a  sound  idea.  I  didn't  wait  for  either 
of  the  other  two  to  give  a  lead.  There  had  been 
a  bit  too  much  directing  of  other  people  recently 
to  quite  suit  my  taste.  So  I  got  up  and  went  off 
without  consulting  anybody,  and  if  they  chose  to 
follow,  there  was  nothing  to  hinder. 

"  Good  man,  Birch,"  sang  out  Carew  when  I 
started.  "  Now,  Jupe,  wish  him  luck." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  pray  for  your  soul, 
Mr.  Birch,"  said  Jupe  drily. 

At  the  end  of  the  beach  of  shingle  was  a  narrow 

cleavage  ledge,  six  inches  wide,  and  some  couple 

of  feet  above  the  water.     I  stepped  out  along  this 

with  my  face  to  the  wall  of  rock,  balancing  my 

17 


258  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

nicest.  As  a  purser  on  a  steamboat,  I  had  al- 
ways held  a  fine  contempt  for  sailor-men  on  wind- 
jammers ;  but  just  then  I  would  have  given  a 
good  deal,  if  I  could  have  looked  back  at  a  year's 
experience  amongst  the  climbing  places  on  a  sail- 
ing ship. 

The  ledges  went  on,  sometimes  up,  sometimes 
down,  sometimes  making  one  wade  knee-deep 
through  hissing  water,  sometimes  setting  one  to 
hang  like  a  fly,  on  dizzy  slabs  far  up  the  rock. 
The  others  had  followed  the  lead  and  were  scram- 
bling after  me,  and  I  was  not  prayerful  for  their 
safety.  If  they  had  both  come  to  grief  I  should 
have  been  complacent.  They  were  a  pair  of  utter 
scoundrels,  and  Sacaronduca  would  have  been  well 
rid  of  both  of  them.  But  though  the  chance  more 
than  once  came  in  my  way,  I  could  not  quite 
harden  myself  up  to  killing  either,  though  my 
own  life  would  have  been  all  the  more  purchasable 
if  they  were  out  of  the  way. 

However,  as  we  moved  onwards,  it  began  to 
look  as  though  private  murder  might  with  safe- 
ness  be  postponed  indefinitely.  We  had  worked 
down  past  the  main  fall,  a  roaring  slide  of  water 
that  sent  up  a  dense  geyser  of  mist  from  its  foot, 
and  we  hung  with  fingers  and  toes  to  the  last  frail 
trace  of  ledge.  There  was  no  possibility  of  climb- 
ing down,  or  of  scrambling  onwards  or  upwards. 
The  two  alternatives  were  to  go  back  and  starve — 
or — jump. 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   259 

The  churning  white  water  at  the  foot  of  the 
fall  was  a  good  sixty  feet  below,  and  it  looked 
shallow.  If  we  jumped,  we  should  probably  be 
smashed  to  pulp  on  some  slimly  covered  rocks, 
and  yet  a  jump  was  the  only  vague  possible  chance 
left  for  saving  our  lives.  The  distance  made  one 
sick  to  look  at,  but  waiting  only  made  matters 
worse.  Already  my  toes  and  ringers  were  so  tired 
that  I  could  hardly  hold  on  with  them. 

"  One,"  I  said. 

"  Two,"  I  said. 

"  Three,"  I  said,  and  took  a  grip  on  my  courage, 
and  chucked  myself  away  from  the  rock,  and 
jumped. 

It  was  horrible.  I  could  feel  the  air  fairly  whis- 
tling out  of  my  carcase.  How  any  man  can  dive 
except  to  save  his  life  I  cannot  tell.  And  then 
feet  foremost  I  hit  the  surface.  The  water  spumed 
away  from  me  in  sheets  and  fountains  ;  it  seemed 
hard,  like  rubber ;  but  it  checked  the  violence  of 
my  fall,  and  though  my  feet  did  hit  the  gravel  of 
the  stream  bed,  which  for  an  instant  I  saw  dry 
and  bare,  the  impact  was  no  harder  than  if  I  had 
dropped  from  a  six-foot  bank. 

But  instantly  the  greedy  water  closed  round  me 
again,  and  choking  and  breathless  I  was  washed 
away  down  the  torrent.  I  fancy  I  must  have  lost 
consciousness  then,  for  a  little  later  I  found  myself 
on  a  bank  of  sand,  and  found  Carew  scrambling  up 
beside  me.  I  was  just  in  time  to  see  Father  Jupe 


260  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

in  his 'turn  take  the  dive.  One  moment  he  was 
like  a  fly  stuck  up  against  the  cliff  face ;  the  next 
he  had  jerked  stiffly  out,  and  was  falling  down- 
wards like  some  grotesque  jumping-jack,  with  his 
wet  clothes  all  hanging  out  from  him  in  streamers, 
and  his  legs  and  arms  clawing  and  kicking  convul- 
sively. He  hit  the  water  with  a  smack  that  sounded 
high  above  the  din  of  the  rapids  and  the  cataract, 
was  lost  for  a  moment  in  an  eruption  of  spouting 
water,  and  then  reappeared  again,  floating  like  a 
limp,  black,  helpless  rag. 

He  came  within  reach  of  the  sand-bank,  drifting 
past  with  his  face  under  the  surface,  and  like  a 
fool  I  must  needs  pull  him  out  of  the  water  and 
lay  him  to  drain.  I  knew  I  was  a  fool  to  meddle 
when  there  was  a  clear  chance  of  being  rid  of  the 
beggar  for  once  and  always,  but  couldn't  help 
doing  it  all  the  same. 

Carew  watched  me  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  Stupid  of  you,"  he  said,  but  did  not  interfere 
further. 

"You'd  have  done  the  same,"  I  snapped. 

"  You  over  flatter  my  foolishness,  or  my  hu- 
manity, or  whatever  you  like  to  call  it.  I'm  not 
vindictive,  Birch,  but  I'm  intensely  practical.  I've 
certain  business  on  ahead;  you  and  Jupe  for  your 
own  reasons  want  to  kill  me,  and  until  I've  got 
the  pair  of  you  out  of  the  way,  you'll  always  be 
apt  to  interfere  at  awkward  moments." 

"  There's  a  certain    ruffianly    frankness   about 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   261 

you  that  I  like,"  said  I.  "  I'll  have  it  carved 
upon  your  tombstone  as  your  most  notable  virtue. 
In  the  meanwhile,  as  you  and  I  can't  have  our 
settling  time  here,  let's  get  on  our  way  down 
stream.  Jupe's  coming  around." 

"Aren't  you  tired  with  your  dive  and  swim? 
Don't  you  want  to  wait  here  a  bit  longer?" 

"  I  am  tired,  but  I'm  going  to  swim  no  more. 
If  you  watch  me  you'll  pick  up  a  hint." 

The  sand-bank  tailed  out  into  shallows.  Other 
sand-banks  lay  beyond  up  against  one  of  the  grim 
stone  walls,  and  the  stream  rushed  deep  at  the 
other  side  of  the  canon.  Further  down,  on  the 
side  of  these  shallows,  I  had  spotted  a  small  oasis 
grown  over  with  osiers  not  very  far  up  the  cliffs, 
and  I  walked  and  waded  along  till  I  was  under- 
neath it,  and  then  climbed  up  without  much 
trouble.  They  were  fine  osiers  when  one  came  to 
look  at  them,  many  running  to  as  much  as  ten 
feet  high  and  the  thickness  of  my  wrist  in  girth, 
and  I  set  to  work  on  them  with  my  machete  with 
a  cheerful  mind.  It  warmed  one  to  be  amongst 
vegetation  again  after  that  cold  bleak  wilderness 
of  stone  and  water. 

There  was  no  temptation  to  loiter  over  the  work. 
Amongst  other  things  the  food  question  was  be- 
ginning to  obtrude  itself  unpleasantly.  The  next 
meal,  if  there  was  going  to  be  one,  was  somewhere 
down  at  the  far  end  of  the  canon,  at  the  other 


262  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

side  of  the  Tolpec  Mountains,  in  fact,  and  I 
wanted  badly  to  get  in  contact  with  it.  I  was  as 
hungry  as  a  stowaway  already. 

There  was  no  question  about  making  a  substan- 
tial raft.  The  other  two  soon  joined  me  when 
they  saw  my  game,  and  put  in  a  claim  for  their 
share  of  the  osiers.  The  supply  was  not  large, 
and  I  could  have  done  with  all  myself ;  but  some- 
how I  couldn't  quite  screw  up  my  vindictiveness 
into  leaving  either  Jupe  or  Carew  unprovided 
for ;  and,  besides,  if  it  came  to  a  scuffle,  Carew 
with  his  pistol  held  the  balance  of  force.  So  I 
stuck  to  the  machete  and  chopped  and  shredded, 
and  the  other  two  made  up  the  osiers  into  three 
bundles  and  lashed  them  together  with  withes. 
Then  we  toppled  them  down  to  the  water's 
edge,  tossed  for  choice,  set  them  afloat,  and  got 
under  weigh. 

I've  done  more  pleasant  navigating.  We  lay 
each  of  us  lengthways  on  his  bundle,  and  steered 
as  best  we  could  with  legs  and  arms.  In  the 
smooth  reaches  our  heads  and  shoulders  were 
nicely  out  of  the  water,  but  these  were  rare,  and 
in  the  frequent  rapids  the  bundles  were  more  or 
less  unmanageable,  and  the  navigation  for  the 
most  part  sub-marine.  One  did  not  contract  a  lik- 
ing for  this  sort  of  thing  in  spite  of  its  frequency, 
but  one  grew  in  a  way  numbed  to  it ;  and  tired- 
ness by  simple  shading  merged  into  exhaustion. 

What  is  the  length  of  the  canon   I  have  not  a 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   263 

notion,  for  though  I  have  measured  it  up  on  paper 
since,  the  existing  ordnance  maps  of  Sacaronduca 
are  sufficiently  inaccurate  to  leave  the  matter 
quite  vague.  We,  its  explorers,  passed  along  our 
choking  way  without  idea  of  pace  or  direction, 
and  indeed  we  made  the  latter  portions  of  the 
passage  in  a  state  approaching  coma.  Our  legs 
and  arms  it  must  be  supposed  performed  certain 
mechanical  functions  of  steering  and  fending  off, 
or  our  bodies  would  have  stranded  on  some  rock 
in  one  of  the  rapids  and  stayed  there  to  rot  ;  but 
our  minds  had  become  quite  torpid,  as  though  all 
volition  had  been  swilled  away  from  them  by  the 
water. 

It  seems  the  caflon  ended  almost  as  abruptly  as 
it  had  begun  ;  the  river  led  out  on  to  a  vast  plain 
that  stretched  right  down  to  the  sea  ;  and  on  the 
grassy  edge  of  this  plain  we  and  our  osier  bundles 
were  stranded  and  left  to  drain.  I  suppose  we 
three  semi-living  creatures  must  have  slept.  I 
know  I  have  a  memory  of  waking  with  a  sense  of 
hunger,  and  staggering  off  through  the  grasses  in 
the  vague  search  for  food,  and  then,  presumably, 
I  must  have  again  toppled  down  in  a  state  of 
blank  unconsciousness.  It  seems  also  that  this 
grassy  plain  was  overrun  with  herds  of  wild  cattle, 
which  were  hunted  for  their  hides  and  tallow  by 
a  few  half-breed  Indians,  and  a  brace  of  these 
hunters  picked  me  up,  killed  a  bull  for  my  espe- 
cial benefit,  and  coaxed  me  back  to  life  with 


264  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

freshly  squeezed  beef  juice.  But  it  was  long 
enough  before  I  had  the  civility  to  acknowledge 
their  attentions — a  matter  of  three  weeks,  in  fact, 
during  which  time,  except  when  I  was  raving  with 
fever,  I  dozed  in  quiet  unconsciousness ;  and  at 
the  end  of  that  span  I  got  my  wits  again,  and 
began  to  review  the  situation. 

I  was  alone  with  the  hunters.  Carew  and 
Father  Jupe  had  gone  without  a  trace,  but  were 
both  presumably  alive,  and  potential  for  any 
amount  more  mischief,  if  not  then  in  the  actual 
performance  of  it.  Dolores  was  distant  quite  a 
three  weeks'  hard  journey.  And  here  was  I  as 
weak  as  a  rat,  with  no  possession  available  except 
for  some  ragged  clothes  and  a  rusty  machete,  and 
already  in  debt  to  my  entertainers. 

Dolores,  on  first  thoughts,  certainly  seemed  the 
place  to  aim  for  ;  but  on  second  thoughts  it  began 
to  strike  me  that  my  reception  might  be  none  of 
the  best.  My  hand  had  been  forced ;  I  was  full 
of  excuses  for  what  had  happened  ;  but  excuses 
were  a  diet  for  which  Briggs  had  no  appetite. 
He  preferred  performance.  And  there  was  no 
denying  several  facts  which  told  badly  against 
me :  in  the  first  place,  it  was  I  who  got  the  earliest 
tidings  of  Carew's  treachery  ;  it  was  certainly  I 
who  had  let  him  leave  Dolores  ;  I  had  certainly 
failed  to  kill  him  afterwards ;  I  had  found  the 
missing  Donna  Delicia  in  Maxillo's  hands,  and 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   265 

left  her  there  ;  and,  lastly,  I  had  let  Carew  slip 
away  from  me  without  the  faintest  idea  as  to  his 
next  movements. 

Of  course,  as  I  say,  I  was  not  without  my  ex- 
cuses for  all  this,  but  the  advisableness  of  carry- 
ing them  in  person  to  lay  before  the  consideration 
of  General  Stephen  Briggs  was  more  than  doubt- 
ful. It  was  quite  on  the  cards  he  would  stick  me 
up  against  a  wall  and  give  me  a  platoon  as  fitting 
pay  for  my  performances. 

However,  the  matter  was  in  a  way  decided  for 
me.  My  excellent  hosts,  it  seems,  regarded  me 
as  an  asset  of  value,  a  cheque,  so  to  speak,  which 
could  only  be  cashed  in  Dolores,  and  it  was  hinted 
to  me  that  if  I  did  not  go  peaceably  I  should  be 
ignominiously  carried  off  to  that  city  as  a  prisoner. 
They  knew  I  was  a  member  of  the  Expeditionary 
Force  ;  indeed,  I  had  admitted  as  much.  And  I 
suppose  they  argued  that  if  I  had  reasons  for 
keeping  out  of  Briggs's  way,  Briggs  would  be  in- 
clined to  pay  for  my  presence.  So  with  an  un- 
spoken understanding  to  this  effect  between  us, 
we  set  off  on  a  tedious  three  weeks'  journey  round 
the  base  of  the  Tolpec  Mountains. 

At  the  outset  of  that  piece  of  travel  I  was  like 
to  have  been  shaken  to  pieces.  Of  road  there  was 
not  a  vestige.  We  zigzagged  over  rough  foot- 
hills, wriggled  through  forests,  squirmed  through 
bad  morasses,  and  swam  rivers.  I  was  weak  still 
with  fever,  and  the  horse  they  put  me  on  was  a 


266  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

rough-gaited  brute  without  a  notion  of  any  civil- 
ised paces.  But  somehow  I  seemed  to  pull  round, 
and  by  the  time  we  got  to  Dolores  I  was  all  right 
again,  though  very  lean  and  gaunt,  and  like  a 
scare-crow  for  rags  and  hair. 

However,  there  was  no  opportunity  to  trim  up. 
My  hosts — or  captors,  if  you  prefer  the  term — 
insisted  on  going  straightway  to  the  President, 
and  the  tale  they  chose  to  give  overcame  all 
scruples  of  the  guard  and  the  chamberlains. 

Briggs — I  beg  his  pardon,  Don  Esteban  Puen- 
tos — was  dining  in  some  considerable  state,  and 
amongst  others  at  the  table  were  Davis,  Coffin, 
and  Fluellen.  There  was  a  bit  of  a  hush  at  our 
entrance,  and  a  chamberlain  was  whispering  some- 
thing into  the  President's  ear. 

The  answer  was  spoken  aloud  : — "  Quite  right 
to  bring  him  here.  Yes,  quite  right  to  bring  him 
now.  I  am  the  State's  servant,  and  always  quite 
ready  to  attend  to  the  State's  business." 

Then  little  Coffin  recognised  me,  and  jumped 
up  and  wrung  my  hand.  "  Faith,  it's  Birch  !  "  he 
shouted.  "  The  immaculate  Birch  not  knocked 
on  the  head  after  all,  but  turned  into  a  wood- 
nymph." 

"  Colonel  Coffin,"  said  the  President  in  that 
quiet,  carrying  voice  of  his,  "  Mr.  Birch  is  in  the 
employ  of  Sacaronduca,  and  will  therefore  wish 
to  report  to  me  first." 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE   267 

Coffin  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  sat  down, 
and  I — well,  I  stood  there  like  a  fool,  not  knowing 
where  or  how  to  begin.  The  President  waited 
till  the  silence  in  the  room  had  grown  thoroughly 
chilling,  and  then,  "  Have  you  come  to  tell  me. 
Mr.  Birch,  that  you  have  condoned  for  your  ab- 
sence without  leave  by  killing  Sir  William  Carew 
as  an  enemy  to  this  country  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  I  did  my  best,  but  he  escaped 
me." 

"  And  yet  my  reports  say  that  you  were  with 
him  several  days  with  arms  in  your  hands." 

"  I  had  no  opportunity  of  killing  him  honour- 
ably." 

"  Your  duty  to  this  State,  sir,  comes  .first.  It 
lay  within  your  power  to  have  killed  both  Carew 
and  Father  Jupe  as  active  enemies  to  the  Re- 
public. You  did  not  do  this.  You  assisted, 
moreover,  in  a  sacrilegious  marriage  which  was 
calculated  to  further  disturb  the  peace  which  I 
have  made  for  Sacaronduca ;  and  I  should  be 
giving  you  only  justice,  according  to  the  terms 
of  our  contract  made  in  London,  if  I  had  you 
taken  from  this  place  and  forthwith  shot.  If  my 
interests  in  this  country  depended  on  the  like  of 
you,  sir,  anarchy  would  soon  come  back  again. 
It  is  my  fortune,  however,  to  be  differently  served. 
Jupe  Maxillo  was  caught  in  act  of  brigandage 
yesterday  morning,  and  was  promptly  hanged. 
Carew  has  made  attempts  at  various  points,  has 


268  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

been  beaten  each  time,  and  has  finally  been  driven 
out  of  the  country.  Unfortunately,  his  power  of 
doing  harm  has  not  yet  ended.  He  has  seized  a 
steamer  and  has  got  away  to  sea,  and  has  prac- 
tically turned  pirate.  I  may  mention  also  that 
he  terrorised  a  coast  village  and  had  himself  pro- 
claimed President  by  way  of  giving  a  sort  of 
countenance  to  his  actions." 

I  thought  that  I  had  seen  a  parallel  to  this  last 
item  myself,  and  that  Carew  was  acting  very 
much  as  Briggs  had  acted  before  him.  But  I  said 
nothing.  I  quite  understood  that  I  was  very  near 
to  being  taken  away  from  that  glittering  dining- 
room  and  summarily  shot.  Briggs  went  on: 

"  I  am  willing  to  believe,  Mr.  Birch,  that  you 
bungled  through  weakness  and  not  through  dis- 
affection, though,  as  you  know,  in  my  eyes,  there 
is  very  little  difference  between  the  two.  I  always 
judge — and  reward — by  results.  But  as  I  quite 
admit  you  have  served  me  faithfully  and  success- 
fully in  the  past  I  am  willing  to  give  you  a  chance 
to  retrieve  your  failure.  Stamp  out  this  emeute 
of  Carew's,  put  the  man  in  the  only  place  where 
he  will  be  beyond  the  opportunity  for  further 
mischief,  and  I  will  forget  your  lapses  and  put 
you  back  into  your  old  position.  You  are  willing 
to  attempt  this?" 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  even  if  I  have  only  my  bare 
hands  to  do  it  with.  Besides,  I  have  an  appoint- 
ment to  fight  a  duel  with  Carew,  and  if  I  can 


SUCCESS  WANTED,  NOT  EXCUSE  269 

come  across  him  in  a  reasonable  place  he  will  not 
disappoint  me.  He  is  a  man,  like  myself,  with 
some  ideas  of  personal  honour  about  such  private 
matters." 

I  intended  this  as  a  stab,  and  I  think  Briggs 
took  it  as  such,  though  he  never  moved  a  muscle 
of  his  face  in  acknowledgment.  "  You  will  kindly 
remember,"  he  said  icily,  "  that  the  agreement 
which  you  signed  to  carry  out  was  '  Before  all, 
Sacaronduca  ;  '  but  if  you  can  make  your  private 
enmities  fall  in  with  this,  so  much  the  better." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

H.  M.  S.  RABBIT 

IT  appeared  I  was  not  to  go  against  Carew  with 
my  naked  hands.  Fluellen  was  already  detailed 
off  for  the  work,  and  I  was  to  accompany  Fluellen 
as  his — may  I  say  ? — lieutenant.  You  will  under- 
stand that  I  had  my  own  strong  reasons  for  crush- 
ing Carew  once  and  for  all,  but  I  think  that  Fluel- 
len was,  if  anything,  keener  over  the  matter  than 
I  was  myself.  The  reason  was  an  obvious  one. 
Don  Juan  Carmoy  had  failed  to  get  what  he 
wanted  from  President  Briggs,  and  had  inconti- 
nently turned  his  coat.  President  Maxillo  up  in 
the  mountains  was  for  the  time  non-active. 
President  Carew,  self-elected,  energetic,  desperate, 
was  his  only  alternative.  Carmoy  could  bring 
over  a  good  following,  and  Carew  was  quite  ready 
to  promise  anything  to  gain  such  a  man's  support, 
and  as  a  consequence  the  pair  of  them  were  run- 
ning in  double  harness  for  the  time  being. 

Here,  then,  was  an  occupation  after  Fluellen's 
own  heart  :  to  hunt  these  two.  Carmoy  had 
robbed  him  of  the  little  Irish  girl  he  loved,  and  so 

ruined  all  his  life ;  Carew  was  helping  farmoy  ; 
270 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  271 

so  Fluellen  had  a  heavy  personal  bill  against  both 
of  them. 

However,  will  for  harm  is  one  thing,  and  ability 
to  do  it  is  quite  another.  The  pair  of  us  rode 
across  the  country  down  to  Los  Angeles,  intend- 
ing to  take  the  one  armed  cruiser  Sacaronduca 
possessed  to  go  after  our  pirate  without  any  delay. 
There  would  be  no  trouble  in  finding  him.  He 
had  got  a  steamer  armed  and  manned,  was  visiting 
the  coast  towns  systematically  and  extorting  an 
oath  of  allegiance  and  a  boat-load  of  tribute  from 
each.  As  a  pirate  he  was  magnificent ;  as  a  Pres- 
ident he  was  acting  completely  according  to  Sac- 
aronducan  standards ;  and  although  the  good 
people  of  Los  Angeles  cursed  him  openly  in  their 
speech,  one  was  not  very  long  in  finding  out  that 
there  was  a  very  tolerable  wave  of  public  feeling 
settling  in  his  favour.  As  I  have  hinted  before, 
the  Sacaronducan,  like  all  his  Spanish-American 
brethren,  is  very  fickle  in  his  political  amours. 

We  had  a  practical  instance  of  this  not  an  hour 
after  our  tired  horses  had  brought  us  to  the  Gov- 
ernment House  in  Los  Angeles.  There  had  been 
an  attempt  to  gain  over  the  officers  of  the  cruiser, 
with  the  result  that  a  brace  of  the  tempters  were 
summarily  shot.  To  cut  her  out  from  under  the 
guns  of  the  forts  was  an  impossibility,  and  so,  as 
they  could  not  gain  her  over  to  their  own  side,  the 
Carew  faction  took  care  that  she  should  not  be 
used  against  them.  She  lay  in  the  harbour, 


272  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

moored  against  the  Custom  House  quay,  and  in 
the  blackness  of  night  some  ingenious  sympa- 
thiser, paid  or  voluntary,  put  her  effectually  hors 
de  combat  for  the  succeeding  month. 

There  was  a  good  steady  breeze  blowing  at  the 
time,  and  by  means  of  a  kite  with  a  wire  string 
this  anonymous  genius  floated  a  parcel  of  dynamite 
across  through  the  air  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  harbour,  and  then  with  a  tripping  line  spilt 
the  kite  so  that  the  load  fell  slap  on  to  the  cruiser's 
decks. 

Both  her  officers  and  crew  were  staunch  enough  ; 
they  had  sentries  on  the  quay  ;  they  had  sentries 
all  over  the  ship  ;  they  were  taking  all  reasonable 
care  against  interference.  But  they  did  not  expect 
an  attack  from  the  air,  and  in  fact  they  never 
dreamed  of  its  possibility  till  it  had  succeeded. 
The  whole  vessel,  the  whole  city,  indeed,  was 
waked  by  a  deafening  roar,  and  presently  a  mes- 
senger came  running  in  to  us  with  the  news.  The 
dynamite  bomb,  or  whatever  it  was,  had  been 
cannily  dropped  down  an  open  engine-room  sky- 
light, had  exploded  against  the  engines,  and  had 
smashed  the  high  pressure  and  intermediate 
cylinders  to  scrap,  and  had  effectually  put  the 
war-ship  out  of  action  for  at  least  another  couple 
of  months. 

"  I  heard  the  dockyard  superintendent  say  that 
he  would  cable  to  some  works  in  England  at  once, 
and  have  new  cylinders  cast  and  turned,"  said 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  273 

the  lieutenant  who  brought  the  news.  "  You  see 
the  job  is  quite  beyond  what  we  could  do  here  in 
our  own  shops.  But  at  the  very  quickest  it  will 
be  six  weeks  before  we  can  get  the  castings  out 
here,  and  we  are  not  likely  to  get  them  fitted  or 
ready  for  sea  in  less  than  another  fortnight  or 
three  weeks.  You  see,  seflores,  we  have  so  few 
dockyard  appliances  in  Los  Angeles  at  present. 
President  Puentos  has  promised  us  better  things 
under  his  regime,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  we 
of  the  navy  look  forward  to  them  most  keenly." 

"  You'll  have  to  continue  looking  if  this  sort  of 
thing  goes  on,"  said  Fluellen.  "  Here's  Carew 
at  us  already  with  the  cruiser,  and  he's  beaten  us 
in  the  first  round.  What  speed  has  this  steamer  of 
his  ?  " 

"  There's  no  knowing,"  said  the  lieutenant. 
"  Pie's  changed  her  twice  already,  and  gives  no  one 
a  chance  of  telling  tales  about  him." 

"  By  Jove,  a  regular  vvalk-the-plank  pirate,  the 
man's  turned.  Well,  he  always  had  the  taste  for  it 
in  his  heart." 

"  As  you  know,"  continued  the  lieutenant, 
"we've  been  out  cruising  after  him  and  only 
came  back  into  port  again  to  coal.  But  we  were 
never  lucky  enough  to  do  more  than  follow  in  his 
footsteps.  We  put  into  half  a  dozen  places  which 
he  had  just  left  after  levying  a  ransom,  but  we 
were  never  lucky  enough  to  catch  him  in  the  act. 
He  had  amazing  luck." 


274  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  Or  cleverness." 

"  Well,  say  both.  Any  way  we  did  our  best. 
We  spoke  every  ship  we  met  except  a  couple  that 
had  the  heels  of  us — and,  oh,  one  other — and 
could  not  get  word  of  him  anywhere.  As  I  told 
you,  he  has  a  knack  of  changing  steamers." 

"  What  other  ship  was  it  you  didn't  board  ?" 

The  lieutenant  gave  a  wry  smile.  "A  Brit- 
isher. A  little  old  barque-rigged  gunboat  with 
single  topsails  and  about  eight  knots  of  steam. 
Her  name's  the  Rabbit,  and  her  captain  might  be 
admiral  of  the  station  from  the  airs  he  puts  on. 
He's  only  a  commander  in  rank,  by  the  way. 
We  steamed  up  within  hailing  distance,  and  told 
him  we  were  hunting  for  a  pirate,  whereupon  he 
coolly  hinted  that  we  were  not  much  better  than 
pirates  ourselves,  and  that  he  would  fire  on  us  if 
we  were  not  respectful.  He  had  got  his  ship 
cleared  for  action  and  his  crew  at  quarters,  and  I 
really  believe  he  would  have  blazed  into  us  if  we 
had  given  him  an  atom  of  chance.  The  bump- 
tious insolence  of  the  man  was  rather  amusing.  If 
we  had  chosen  we  could  have  blown  his  old  tub 
out  of  the  water  in  five  minutes,  and  he  hadn't 
got  a  gun  to  touch  us. 

The  lieutenant,  who  was  a  Texan,  was  rather 
inclined  to  take  the  situation  flippantly.  Fluel- 
len,  however,  chilled  him  down. 

"  Seflor,"  he  said,  "  I  trust  that  your  command- 
ing officer  oil  the  cruiser  upheld  the  dignity  of 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  275 

his  country.  Of  course,  it  would  be  impolitic  to 
have  a  fracas  with  Great  Britain,  but  President 
Puentos'  government  must  be  respected.  At 
the  same  time  you  must  remember  that  the  po- 
litical change  in  this  country  is  still  new.  The 
Sacaronducan  Minister  in  London  has  been 
discredited  by  us,  as  he  was  an  appointment 
of  Maxillo's,  but  so  far  he  has  not  been  re- 
placed." 

"  That  Britisher  said  he  was  still  in  possession, 
and  that  the  only  government  which  England 
recognised  in  this  country  was  Maxillo's. 

"Ah,  well,"  said  Fluellen,  "  I  suppose  we  must 
admit  that  diplomatic  relations  between  the  two 
nations  have  been  more  or  less  suspended  during 
the  past  few  months.  Home  matters  have  occu- 
pied every  attention.  But  I  do  know  for  a  fact 
that  President  Puentos  will  shortly  have  an  ac- 
credited Minister  in  London,  and  the  reason  for 
the  gunboat  captain's  brusqueness  probably  lies 
in  the  fact  that  he  was  a  long  time  from  port,  and 
has  not  received  any  fresh  information  about  the 
change  of  affairs." 

Fluellen  sat  down  at  a  desk  and  began  to  write 
a  despatch,  and  the  lieutenant  turned  away  and 
rolled  himself  a  cigarette.  "  Brusqueness,"  I 
heard  him  murmur.  "  Oh,  my  only  aunt  Louisa ! 
Brusqueness  !  I  wish  you  could  have  heard  the 
beggar." 

The  lieutenant  lit  the  cigarette  and  went  away, 


276  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

and  Fluellen  sealed  his  despatch  and  turned  to  me 
and  shook  his  head. 

"  Carew's  a  hard  nut  to  crack,"  I  said.  "  I 
found  that  out  for  myself  already.  I  wish  we 
could  set  him  and  this  meddlesome  gunboat  by 
the  ears  to  settle  one  another's  hash  mutually." 

"  Carew's  not  a  fool,"  said  Fluellen.  "  To 
judge  from  the  cleverness  he's  shown  already, 
he's  much  more  likely  to  play  off  the  gunboat 
against  us.  As  a  point  of  fact,  I  know  this 
Rabbit  and  her  skipper.  Meadey's  his  name. 
He  got  the  appointment  just  before  we  left  Eng- 
land, and  I'm  afraid  he's  the  type  of  animal  that 
has  very  little  respect  for  any  service  except  the 
British  navy,  and  rather  less  than  none  at  all  for 
anything  connected  with  a  Central  American 
Republic." 

"  Does  Carew  know  him  personally  ?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of." 

"Do  you?" 

"  I  met  him  once,  but  merely  during  a  day's 
covert  shooting  " — he  frowned,  and  added — "  in 
Ireland.  It  was  at  Julia's  place." 

"  Phew !  Then  does  this  naval  person  know 
that  the  lady  is  now  Mrs.  Carmoy,  and  that  her 
excellent  husband  is  co-pirating  with  Carew?" 

"  Can't  say,  I'm  sure.  But  you  can  go  and  ask 
her  if  you  like." 

"Where?" 

"  Here,  in  Los  Angeles.     She  and  Don  Juan 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  277 

came  here  when  he  made  up  his  mind  to  turn 
against  Briggs — Puentos,  I  mean,  bless  his 
change  of  names — and  she  settled  down  in  her 
palace  here  whilst  he  went  off  to  sea." 

"  And  she  isn't  interfered  with?" 

"  My  dear  Birch,  what  do  you  want  ?  We 
don't  fight  against  women.  But  I've  no  doubt 
she's  pretty  carefully  watched,  and  quite  knows 
it.  However,  if  you  want  to  learn  more,  go  and 
call.  I've  no  doubt  she'll  receive  you." 

"  Will  you  come  with  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  snapped,  "  I  will  not.  I  haven't 
seen  Julia  since  she  came  into  the  country,  and 
don't  intend  to  as  long  as  she  is  married  to  that 
brute.  But  you  go  if  you  think  it  will  be  useful. 
I  wish  you  would,  in  fact :  I'd  like  to  know  how 
she's  going  on.  And  I've  no  doubt  you'll  be 
amused.  Delicia's  there — I  beg  her  pardon — 
Lady  Carew  is  staying  in  the  palace,  and  you  and 
she  will  be  able  to  exchange  views  on  the  Tolpec 
district." 

"  Donna  Delicia !  "  said  I,  regularly  startled. 
"  Why  you  don't  mean  to  say  old  Maxillo  let  her 
go?" 

"  Of  course  he  did.     Haven't  you  heard?" 

"  This  is  the  first  word.  You  must  remember 
I've  been  with  you  all  the  time." 

"  Well,  it's  fact  enough.  I'd  have  told  you  be- 
fore, only  I  took  it  for  granted  you'd  heard.  Yes, 
the  old  gentleman  was  apparently  very  much  up- 


278  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

set  at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  and  strung  up 
half  a  dozen  of  his  suite  out  of  hand  so  as  to 
teach  the  rest  smartness.  But  as  that  did  not 
make  the  lady  a  widow,  and  as  he  was  too  much 
of  a  churchman  to  encumber  her  with  another 
husband  till  she  was  rid  of  her  last,  he  sent  her 
to  Dolores  with  an  escort  and  a  sarcastic  note  of 
condolence  to  Briggs.  Speaking  impartially,  I 
think  it  was  the  best  thing  he  could  have  done." 

"  Why,  yes.  Donna  Delicia  is  delightful  when 
she  chooses,  but  I  can  imagine  she  would  not 
make  a  pleasant  guest  if  she  was  kept  at  a  place 
against  her  will.  Why  didn't  she  stay  on  at 
Dolores  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  she  found  it  painful.  Anyway  she 
must  have  known  her  presence  (under  the  circum- 
stances) would  be  painful  to  Briggs.  So  she 
came  off  to  Donna  Julia's  house  here  in  Los 
Angeles,  to  wait." 

"  To  wait !  what  for  ?     Till  she's  a  widow  ?  " 

"  To  wait  till  she's  the  wife  of  a  president,  I 
suppose,"  said  Fluellen  drily.  "  If  one  states  the 
question  so,  it  cuts  both  ways.  For  the  life  of 
me  I  can't  make  the  lady  out." 

"  Then  you  have  seen  her  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  She's  a  lot  too  openly  grateful  to 
Carewto  suit  the  taste  of  Don  Esteban  Puentos." 

"  What,  does  she  really  care  for  the  scoundrel  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Birch,  ask  me  to  do  most  kinds  of 
impossibility,  and  I'll  try.  But  don't  ask  me  to 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  279 

state  what  Delicia  really  thinks  when  she  doesn't 
mean  to  say.  She's  got  a  lawful  husband,  there's 
no  getting  over  that ;  he's  clever,  and  a  strong, 
and  a  daring  man,  as  even  his  bitterest  enemy 
will  admit ;  and  it's  not  in  the  nature  of  woman 
to  deny  him  some  admiration.  Whether  she's 
any  affection  for  him  is  quite  another  matter. 
She'll  laugh  and  joke  over  it,  and  say  '  Yes  '  and 
'  No '  in  two  consecutive  breaths.  But  there's 
one  thing  she's  solid  on :  she's  the  lawful  Lady 
Carew,  and  no  other  need  apply  for  the  post  of 
husband  whilst  Carew's  above  the  daisies." 

"  Which  our  chief  will  not  like." 

"  Naturally." 

"And  did  he  promise  to  shoot  Carew  when  he 
could  lay  hands  on  him,  or  did  he  offer  to  do  the 
Quixotic  and  abdicate  the  Presidency  in  his 
favour?" 

"  I  am  not  in  their  confidence,  but  knowing 
the  pair  of  them  fairly  well,  I  should  say,  neither. 
He  is  not  the  kind  of  man  to  give  up  anything 
he  has  set  his  mind  on  ;  and  she  is  not  the  sort 
of  woman  to  ask  favours  which  would  certainly 
be  refused.  Moreover,  whatever  they  thought 
about  the  matter,  they  did  not  show  it  outwardly. 
In  fact,  to  all  outward  seeming  they  feel  much 
the  same  as  they  did  before.  Eh,  well  " — Fluel- 
len  sighed  heavily — "  I  suppose  it  doesn't  cut 
either  of  them  very  deeply,  or  they  couldn't  help 
letting  it  show  somehow." 


280  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

We  both  went  off  to  our  bedrooms  then,  and 
whatever  Fluellen  did,  I  can  answer  for  it  that  I 
put  in  six  hours  the  solidest  sleep  a  man  could 
do  this  side  of  the  grave.  It  was  well  into  the 
morning  when  I  woke,  and  as  I  lay  in  bed  and 
got  through  my  matutinal  coffee  and  roll,  I  argued 
with  myself  as  to  whether  a  call  at  the  Carmoy 
palace  was  advisable.  Of  course,  it  would  be 
eminently  unpleasant,  because,  come  to  think  of 
it,  there  are  nicer  occupations  than  going  to 
socially  interview  the  wives  of  a  couple  of  men 
whom  you  hope  in  the  very  near  future  to  kill; 
but  I  am  getting  imbued  with  my  chiefs  motto 
of  "  before  all  Sacaronduca,"  and  I  argued  the 
matter  out  on  the  lines  of  whether  or  not  such 
an  interview  would  help  the  business  Fluellen 
and  I  had  in  hand.  And  finally,  after  coldly  and 
dispassionately  looking  the  matter  through,  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  not.  I  have 
a  tolerable  conceit  of  my  own  tongue-power — a 
purser  on  big  ships  learns  how  to  make  use  of 
talk — but  I  was  not  likely  to  get  anything  out  of 
the  Carmoy  Palace  which  I  did  not  know  already. 
Delicia  was  there  ;  Delicia  would  receive  me  ;  and 
I  was  quite  sure  Delicia  would  not  let  out,  either 
herself  or  through  the  lips  of  her  friend,  anything 
she  wished  to  be  hid.  It  was  much  more  likely 
that  Delicia  would  extract  news  out  of  me. 

But  as  it  happened,  I  might  have  saved  myself 
the  trouble  of  coming  to  a  decision  over  the 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  281 

•  •**  -.  i 

matter.  Before  I  had  finished  my  coffee  and 
roll  a  message  was  brought  in  that  caused  me  to 
leap  out  of  bed  and  dress  with  the  best  of  my 
speed.  The  English  gunboat,  the  Rabbit,  had 
hove  to  off  the  port,  and  had  sent  a  boat  ashore 
with  an  ultimatum  concerning  I  couldn't  quite 
make  out  what,  and  threatened  that  unless  she 
got  satisfaction  in  some  three  hours'  time  she 
would  open  a  bombardment. 

Fluellen  and  I  both  came  into  the  business 
room  together,  finishing  our  dressing  as  we  walked. 
The  Texan  lieutenant  of  the  disabled  cruiser  was 
waiting  for  us,  smoking  cigarettes.  It  was  he 
who  had  brought  the  news  to  Government 
House,  and  I  must  say  he  seemed  rather  pleased 
with  the  situation  than  otherwise.  "  Them  are 
all  awake  in  the  forts,"  said  he,  "  and  as  soon  as 
that  fool  gunboat  squibbs  off  one  of  her  pop- 
guns, they'll  blow  her  into  the  smallest  kind  of 
matchwood.  They  are  quite  keen  on  the  chance; 
it's  the  first  time  they've  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  what  their  batteries  will  do." 

"  Rubbish,"  said  Fluellen.  "  This  mustn't  go 
on.  We  can't  afford  to  have  international  com- 
plications now.  When  Sacaronduca  has  settled 
down  and  is  stronger " 

"  But,  sir,"  said  the  Texan,  "there'll  be  no  in- 
ternational complication.  If  your  silly,  fat- 
headed  John  Bull — Meadey's  his  name,  by  the 
way — chooses  to  come  and  ram  his  wooden  skull 


282  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

against  our  fortifications,  it's  his  own  fault  if  the 
consequences  are  a  bit  big.  I  guess  our  boys 
have  savvy  enough  to  sit  tight  and  let  him  shoot 
first.  After  that,  by  all  the  rules  of  Christianity, 
it's  his  funeral." 

Fluellen  clapped  on  his  pith  helmet  and  tossed 
me  across  mine.  "  Rubbish,"  he  said  again. 
"  This  must  not  go  on.  I  know  Meadey.  He's 
just  the  sort  of  fool  to  do  what  you  say.  But 
we  can't  murder  him  and  sink  his  ship  for  all  that. 
Birch,  you  and  I  will  get  a  launch  and  go  off  to 
the  Rabbit  and  pacify  the  idiot." 

We  went  out  into  the  street,  got  a  carroza,  and 
drove  rapidly  down  towards  the  quays.  "  By 
the  way,  "  said  I  to  the  Texan,  who  was  in  the 
carriage  with  us,  "  I  haven't  heard  yet  what  all 
the  fuss  was  about.  I  suppose  they've  got  a 
pretty  good  '  casus  belli  ?  ' ' 

"  That's  the  funny  part  of  it,"  he  said.  "  They 
haven't.  It's  Carew  they're  mad  with,  and  they 
will  persist  in  confusing  Carew  with  us.  Carew's 
on  the  war-path,  there's  no  doubt  ab&ut  that.  And 
he's  bagged  one  of  Johnny  Bull's  fancy  ships,  and 
old  Meadey 's  brought  in  the  bill  right  here.  What's 
more,  he  says  he  wants  our  cruiser  to  take  away 
in  pawn  till  the  account's  settled,  and  if  he  doesn't 
get  her  he's  going  to  let  loose  the  whole  strength 
of  his  fourpenny  earthquake  on  the  fortifications 
of  Los  Angeles.  I  suppose  he  didn't  trouble  to 
think  what  we  should  be  doing  when  he  started 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  283 

action,  and  yet,  hang  it,  you'd  guess  the  man  must 
read  his  service  magazines  sometimes  and  know 
the  kind  of  dandy  set-out  we've  got  here  to  take 
care  of  ourselves  with." 

"  You  can  take  it  from  me,"  said  Fluellen,  "  that 
Captain  Meadey  knows  the  strength  of  Los  Angeles 
armament  as  well  as  you  do  ;  and  if  he  makes  up 
his  mind  to  bring  them  to  action  he'll  do  it  as  calmly 
as  though  they  amounted  to  half  a  dozen  brass 
yacht  guns.  They  don't  worry  themselves  par- 
ticularly about  odds  in  his  service.  If  they  get 
wiped  out,  they  always  cheer  themselves  by  know- 
ing that  there's  heaps  more  British  fleet  to  come 
and  make  things  hot  for  the  wipers." 

"  Well,"  said  the  lieutenant,  "  personally  I 
have  no  use  for  post-mortem  squaring  up  of  that 
description.  Now,  gentlemen,  here  we  are  at  the 
quay,  and  there's  a  naphtha  launch  with  pressure 
up  at  the  foot  of  those  stairs.  I  wouldn't  go  to 
the  Rabbit,  though,  if  I  were  you.  John  Bull 
Meadey  is  just  as  likely  to  hang  you  as  not  in  his 
present  mood." 

"  I  shall  risk  that,"  said  Fluellen,  "  and  any  way 
it's  my  duty  to  go.  I  am  senior  officer  here  in 
Los  Angeles,  and  I'm  vain  enough  to  think  that 
I'm  the  most  capable  man  here  for  dealing  with 
the  situation.  I  tell  you  this  absurd  fuss  may 
develop  into  something  serious  if  it  isn't  delicately 
handled." 

"  I  didn't  know  you  were  down  here  officially. 


284  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

By  Jove,  of  course  you  are  senior."  The  Texan 
drew  himself  up  and  saluted  formally.  "  Any  or- 
ders, Colonel  Fluellen  ? 

"  Thanks,  no." 

"  Can  I  volunteer  as  an  aide-de-camp,  or  cox- 
swain, or  something  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Fluellen,  "you  may  come  along  if 
you  like." 

"  That's  what  I  want  just  now,"  said  the  Texan, 
and  stepped  down  into  the  naphtha  launch  and 
took  the  tiller.  We  followed,  and  the  engineer 
set  her  going  ;  and  whilst  the  horses  in  the  carroza 
on  the  quay  above  were  still  purring  and  blowing 
after  the  pace  they  had  come,  we  had  circled  round, 
and  were  heading  for  the  harbour  entrance  be- 
tween the  concrete  walls. 

The  queer  old  obsolete  gunboat  was  sawing  up 
and  down  over  the  swells  outside,  with  sails  furled, 
topgallant  masts  struck,  and  the  propeller  giving 
an  occasional  flap  just  to  keep  her  in  place.  She'd 
got  ports  triced  up,  guns  run  out,  and  her  crew  at 
their  fighting  quarters,  and  fifty  years  earlier  she 
could  no  doubt  have  given  a  good  enough  account 
of  herself.  But  against  modern  gun  fire  she 
would  have  been  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 
death-trap,  and  with  very  little  chance  of  doing 
any  return  harm  before  she  was  blasted  off  the 
face  of  the  sea. 

This  knowledge  must  have  been  quite  common 
to  all  of  her  crew,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  depress 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  285 

them.  When  the  naphtha  launch  brought  us 
alongside,  and  we  were,  after  some  rigid  formali- 
ties, admitted  on  deck,  we  saw  the  fellows  at  their 
fighting  stations  to  all  appearances  brimming  with 
glee.  They  were  very  spick  and  span,  and,  after 
the  ragged  crew  we  had  been  accustomed  to  of 
late,  slightly  reminiscent  of  a  theatre  scene  or  a 
fancy  dress  ball ;  but,  for  all  that,  individually 
they  were  business-like  enough,  and  it  was  only 
the  inefficiency  of  the  old  auxiliary  barque  herself 
and  her  guns  which  gave  its  pathetic  side  to  their 
valour. 

However,  we  were  not  given  much  time  for 
sentimental  inspection.  We  were  received  up  the 
side  with  machine-made  etiquette ;  we  were  con- 
ducted along  decks  clean  as  a  dinner  plate  by  an 
armed  guard ;  and,  in  fact,  underwent  a  reception 
which  would  have  been  equally  appropriate  for  a 
pair  of  ambassadors  or  a  brace  of  convicts.  We 
were  marched  off  to  a  quarter-deck  and  halted  by 
a  skylight,  and  an  officer  went  and  reported  our 
presence  to  Meadey  on  the  bridge,  who  then  for 
the  first  time  became  officially  aware  of  our  exist, 
ence,  though  as  a  matter  of  fact  he  had  been  star- 
ing at  our  arrival  for  a  good  quarter  of  an  hour. 

He  accepted  his  junior's  report — I  half  won- 
dered he  did  not  ask  for  it  in  writing — and  walked 
down  to  us  with  short,  quick  steps.  He  was  a 
stuffy  little  man  with  a  great  deal  of  uniform, 
clean  shaved,  and  with  a  fine,  plum-coloured  com- 


286  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

plexion.  His  acknowledgment  of  us  was  guarded. 
I  admired  the  amount  of  courteous  chill  he  man- 
aged to  throw  into  it.  He  looked  at  Fluellen 
with  a  distant  glance  of  recognition,  but  without 
remark  on  a  previous  meeting,  and  Fluellen  did 
not  choose  to  claim  acquaintanceship.  And  so 
there  the  three  of  us  stood  on  those  bleached 
deck  planks  of  Her  Majesty's,  as  stiff  and  unbend- 
ing a  trio  as  you  could  wish  to  find. 

Whether  we  two  newcomers  liked  or  disliked 
it,  one  could  see  that  Meadey  fairly  revelled  in 
this  prim  stiffness ;  thought  it  showed  a  proper 
deference  to  his  service  and  himself,  I  suppose  ; 
and  instantly  checked  any  tendency  towards  a 
thaw,  and  as  that  was  his  mood  we  threw  ice  on 
his  ice,  and  capped  his  dryness  by  still  greater 
aridities. 

It  appeared  that  Carew,  cruising  at  large  along 
the  coast,  had  come  upon  an  English  merchant 
steamer  which  suited  his  fancy  more  than  the  ves- 
sel which  was  then  carrying  him,  and  he  had  forth- 
with (according  to  Meadey)  "pirated  her." 

"  Did  he  kill  her  people?  "  asked  Fluellen. 

"  It  was  not  reported  to  me  that  he  did,"  said 
Meadey. 

"  Did  he  set  them  ashore  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  been  informed  of  it." 

"  Then  did  he  give  them  over  his  old  steamer 
in  exchange  ?  " 

"  So  I  hear." 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  287 

"  I  suppose  he  would  call  that  requisitioning. 
May  I  take  it  that  he  gave  an  order  for  pay- 
ment ?  " 

The  captain  of  the  Rabbit  allowed  himself  a 
little  smile  of  triumph.  "  You  may  take  it  that 
he  did,  sir.  He  gave  an  order  on  the  treasury  at 
Los  Angeles  ;  the  master  of  the  captured  steamer 
applied  to  me  for  protection  ;  and  I  have  come 
to  help  him  cash  the  draft  and  secure  damages." 

"  I  see,"  said  Fluellen.  "  Then  let  me  congrat- 
ulate myself,  Captain  Meadey,  on  having  warned 
you  that  you  propose  committing  an  act  of  rank 
piracy.  You  set  yourself  up  as  a  policeman  of 
the  seas  ;  well  and  good.  You  come  across  the 
tracks  of  this  irresponsible  ruffian,  Carew,  who 
gives  a  false  address — did  it  never  occur  to  you, 
sir,  that  the  address  might  be  false  ?  and  here  you 
are  within  an  ace  of  levying  your  distraint  at  the 
wrong  door." 

"  I  do  not  know  officially  that  it  was  the  wrong 
door." 

"  I  have  the  honour  of  telling  you — officially — 
that  it  was.  I  have  given  you  my  credentials. 
You  cannot  avoid  knowing — officially — my  name 
and  official  position  in  this  country.  Incidentally 
I  might  venture  that  this  man  Carew  is  in  rebel- 
lion against  Sacaronduca,  and  my  Government 
has  put  a  price  on  his  head." 

"  Ah,"  said  Meadey,  "and  you  are  attached  to 
the  Government  of — ?  " 


288  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

"  General  Don  Esteban  Puentos." 

"  We  do  not  recognise  him.  Officially,  as  far 
as  England  is  concerned,  Mr.  Maxillo  is  President 
of  Sacaronduca." 

"  You  are  out  of  date,"  said  Fluellen.  He 
looked  significantly  round  the  decks  of  the  gun- 
boat, and  contemptuously  at  her  masts.  "  Some- 
what dangerously  out  of  date,  I  should  say.  You 
would  find  it  advantageous,  Captain  Meadey,  to 
keep  somewhat  more  abreast  of  the  times." 

The  little  stuffy  man's  face  deepened  in  tint. 
"Sir,"  he  said,  "you  wish  to  save  the  harbour- 
defences  of  your — ar — recently  adopted  country 
from  destruction.  Your  arguments  are  ingenious 
and  worthy  of  a  man  who  has — ar — changed  his 
nationality.  But  at  the  same  time  my  clear  duty 
is  to  secure  compensation  for  the  outrage  on  this 
British  steamer.  However,  I  am  willing  to  offer 
you  a  compromise.  If  you  and  your  Mr.  Birch 
will  come  with  me,  and  take  this  Carew  whom 
you  disown,  and  assist  at  his  hanging  as  a  com- 
mon pirate,  then  I  on  my  part  am  willing  to  forego 
my  operations  against  Los  Angeles,  at  any  rate 
till  the  matter  has  been  referred  to  my  Govern- 
ment at  home."  He  looked  at  his  watch.  "  It 
is  now  eleven  fifty-one.  My  ultimatum  said 
twelve  o'clock,  and  the  cruiser  has  not  yet  been 
surrendered.  "  If  you  do  not  agree  to  these  new 
terms,  I  open  fire  in  nine  minutes." 

Fluellen  had  not  relished  the  hint  about  being 


H.  M.  S.  RABBIT  289 

a  renegade,  and  his  answer  contained  a  touch  of 
acid.  He  said  that  personally  he  had  no  inclina- 
tion to  prevent  Captain  Meadey  committing  sui- 
cide ;  but  had  a  kindness  for  his  crew  ;  and  more- 
over took  an  archaeologist's  interest  in  the  Rabbit. 
"It  would  be  a  pity,"  he  said,  "  that  such  an  in- 
teresting link  in  the  naval  architecture  of  the  past 
should  be  wantonly  destroyed.  So,  sir,"  said  he, 
"  Mr.  Birch  and  I  have  much  pleasure  in  permit- 
ting you  to  carry  out  the  work  for  which  we  our- 
selves have  been  detailed  off  by  President  Puen- 
tos;  and  until  you  have  captured  Sir  William 
Carew,  or  satisfied  yourself  that  the  task  is  too 
big  for  you,  we  shall  be  pleased  to  stay  here  as 
your  guests  on  the  Rabbit." 

"  My  hostages,   if  you  please,"    said  Meadey. 
"  Kindly  send  away  your  launch,  and  then,  if  you 
please,  come  below  and  give  me  your  statement 
of  the  case  in  writing." 
'9 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  CORNERED    CLARINDELLA 

IT  turned  out  we  were  in  touch  with  old  friends 
— or  perhaps  I  should  say  old  acquaintances.  We 
had  given  a  few  hurried  messages  to  the  Texan 
lieutenant,  and  he  had  carried  them  off  in  the 
naphtha  launch  in  Los  Angeles  Harbour  ;  Meadey 
had  pronounced  his  formal  stilted  orders  for  the 
Rabbit  to  get  under  weigh  for  her  new  cruise,  and 
when  these  orders  had  passed  through  about  fif- 
teen hands  they  came  into  effect ;  and  whilst  the 
bustle  of  unarming  ship  was  going  on  overhead 
Fluellen  and  I  had  gone  below  under  the  chap- 
eronage  of  a  sub-lieutenant. 

The  sub-lieutenant,  a  cheerful  irresponsible 
creature,  after  the  manner  of  his  kind,  suggested 
a  drink,  belauding  the  Rabbit's  cocktails,  which 
we  presently  sampled ;  and  in  the  first  minute  of 
talk  frankly  stated  his  relief  at  our  arrival.  "The 
skipper,"  said  this  ingenious  youth,  "  got  let  in 
from  a  promise  to  get  the  Clarindella  paid  for, 
and  he'd  have  had  his  try  if  your  batteries  had 
been  as  strong  as  Cronstadt." 

"  They    are    pretty    nearly    as    strong,"    said 
Fluellen. 
290 


THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA  291 

"  Well,  any  way  they  are  strong  enough  to,  settle 
our  hash  without  much  argument,  and  I  don't 
want  to  get  killed  just  yet  without  a  show  for  my 
money.  I  say,  doesn't  our  steward  make  good 
cocktails  here  ?  " 

"  Fine,"  said  Fluellen.  "  What  was  that  you 
were  saying  about  the  Clarindella?  She's  not  out 
in  these  seas  now,  is  she  ?  " 

"  She  is,  unless  this  Carew  man's  sunk  her.  She 
was  tramping  for  cargo  when  he  took  her  over, 
and  she'd  her  owner  on  board,  and  it  was  the  owner 
who  came  across  us  and  kicked  up  all  the  fuss. 
By  Jove,  to  hear  him  talk,  you'd  think  that  half 
the  British  Empire  had  been  looted.  But  I  think 
he  knew  what  he  was  up  to  pitching  his  yarn  that 
way.  He  quite  got  over  our  skipper.  I  say, 
though,  do  you  fellows  know  the  Clarindella  ? 
What's  she  like  ?  " 

"  We  ought  to.  Birch  ought  to  know  her 
owner  pretty  thoroughly,  too,  for  that  'matter,  if 
she  hasn't  been  sold  recently.  You've  heard  of 
our  reforming  expedition  to  Sacaronduca  ?  " 

"Who -hasn't?  By  Jove,  I  say,  you  have  been 
envied.  But  they  talk  of  you  as  filibusters, 
though,  for  all  that,  and  say  you  have  just  been 
hired  by  Holsteins  for  the  job." 

"  Very  likely.  I  don't  suppose  our  doings  and 
objects  have  been  very  accurately  reported.  For 
instance,  you  don't  appear  to  know  that  the  whole 
of  the  war  material  for  the  expedition  was  carried 


292  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

out  in  this  same  Clarindella  which  you  were  talk- 
ing about." 

"  By  Jove,"  said  our  entertainer,  "  here  is  her 
owner.  I'll  leave  you  fellows  to  compare  notes 
with  him.  You  must  excuse  me  now ;  I've  got  to 
go  on  deck  again.  Steward,  bring  these  gentlemen 
three  more  cocktails." 

The  owner  of  the  Clarindella  greeted  me  almost 
tearfully,  and  when  I  introduced  Fluellen  I 
thought  he  would  have  wept  over  his  hand.  "  I 
shall  never  forget  the  business  I  did  with  you, 
Mr.  Birch.  It  was  most  profitable  to  me.  I  am 
proud  to  know  any  friend  of  yours.  Ah,  sir,  but 
I've  had  sad  losses  since  that  day  you  and  I  signed 
our  names  across  an  honest  sixpenny  charter- 
party  stamp." 

He  was  the  same  small,  stuffy  creature,  with 
the  stutter  and  the  perpetual  perspiration,  that  he 
had  been  when  I  dealt  with  him  before,  and  his 
heart  was  still  wrapped  up  in  the  welfare  of  this 
same  middle-class  steamboat. 

"  If  it  had  been  one  of  my  other  vessels,  Mr. 
Birch,  I  should  not  have  minded  so  much  ;  but 

the  Clarindella  " he  broke  off  again  and 

passed  a  tremulous  hand  across  his  eyes.  "  I  am 
out  here  trying  to  make  a  regular  line  of  my  boats, 
calling  at  fixed  ports,  you  understand,  and  run- 
ning so  far  as  might  be  on  scheduled  time.  That 
was  my  ambition.  But  cargo  is  very  hard  to  find, 
and  the  landings  are  bad — roadsteads  and  surf 


THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA  293 

beaches  for  the  most  part.  And  then  this  man, 
this  pirate,  this  Carew  comes  up  and  has  taken 
the  ship  before  I  knew  what  he  was  doing.  He 
runs  up  from  astern  with  a  signal  flying  that- he 
wanted  to  speak,  and  brings  to  slap  across  our* 
bows.  He'd  his  boats  in  the  water  before  you 
could  say  knife  ;  and  his  men  across  and  on  our 
decks  before  I  could  stop  'em.  '  You've  no  right 
here,'  says  I,  '  I'm  a  British  subject.' 

"  '  If  you  were  a  Chinese  subject  or  a  Liberian 
it  would  give  me  equal  concern/  says  he. 

"  '  It  will  be  piracy  to  take  this  ship  against  my 
will,'  says  I.  '  I  defy  you  to  do  it.' 

"  '  You  may  defy  me  till  you're  black  in  the  face,' 
says  he.  '  If  you  don't  get  over  the  side  peace- 
ably, you'll  be  put.'  " 

Fluellen  smiled  grimly.  "  I  can  imagine  Carew 
saying  it." 

"  We'd  no  show  for  resistance.  He'd  a  hundred 
ruffians  at  his  heels,  and  all  told  we  were  only 
seventeen  on  the  Clarindella,  so  I  had  to  take 
the  promise  to  pay  which  he  offered,  and  row 
across  to  the  old  steamer  he'd  got  tired  of.  I'd 
only  a  dozen  hands  to  work  her.  He  openly 
offered  big  bribes  for  anyone  who'd  volunteer  to 
join  him,  and  five  of  my  beauties  stayed.  "  I 
hope,"  he  added  with  heavy  viciousness,  "they 
cut  his  throat." 

"  So  do  I  ;  but  they  won't.  Carew's  far  too 
sharp,  and  knows  how  to  handle  men  far  too  well 


294  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

to  let  experiments  of  that  kind  succeed.  Besides 
they've  all  to  win  and  no  grievance  against  him. 
Did  you  find  out  where  he  was  going  to  next  ?  " 

"  No,  I  didn't.  They  gave  us  sou'-sou'-west  as 
a  course,  and  said  they'd  be  practising  a  gun  or  two 
in  our  direction  directly,  and  hoped  we  wouldn't 
be  in  the  way  to  stop  the  shot.  They'd  brought 
four  two-inch  guns  and  a  Maxim  across  with  them 
from  the  other  steamer  in  their  boats.  So  we 
steamed  off.  Besides,  I'd  no  wish  to  wait.  I 
wanted  to  get  to  Los  Angeles  to  see  if  his  order 
on  the  Treasury  there  would  be  honoured." 

"  You  might  just  as  well  have  taken  your  bill 
to  New  York  or  Paris." 

"  I  know,"  said  the  owner  of  the  Clarindella. 
"  I  guessed  it  when  I  heard  this  Carew  was  a 
baronet.  I've  always  been  brought  up  to  look 
upon  titles  with  suspicion.  It  has  been  part  of 
my  political  creed." 

"  I  can  imagine  it  would  have  been,"  said 
Fluellen  drily.  "  Well,  my  good  sir — I  haven't 
the  advantage  of  knowing  your  honoured  name — 
you  may  be  congratulated  on  having  engaged  the 
most  wooden-witted,  perish-her-enemies  advocate 
that  could  be  found  on  all  the  seas  to  forward 
your  claims  with  the  help  of  this  venerable  relic 
of  a  gunboat ;  and  though  you  have  by  your  fool- 
ish talk  very  nearly  made  him  commit  a  wanton 
act  of  war  against  a  friendly  power,  I  fancy  the 
danger  of  that  will  be  pretty  well  past  when  I 


drive  a  few  of  the  facts  you  have  given  me  into 
his  pompous  head." 

The  shipowner  started  with  a  perspiring  face, 
"  What !  "  he  stuttered,  "  are  you  a  friend  of  this 
Carew's  ?  I  thought  any  friend  of  Mr.  Birch " 

"  No,  don't  run  away  with  that  mistake,  I'm  an 
enemy  of  Carew,  fast  enough,  and  so  is  Birch. 
There  are  no  two  men  living  more  anxious  to  see 
the  scamp  respectably  hanged.  But  at  the  same 
time  we  have  other  interests.  We  have  both  of 
us  a  considerable  stake  in  Sacaronduca." 

"  I  don't  care  a  fig  for  any  of  your  rotten  Central 
American  republics,"  the  man  burst  out  angrily. 

"  No,"  said  Fluellen.  "  Rule  Britannia,  floreat 
yourself,  and  let  everything  else  rip.  I  quite  un- 
derstand your  sentiments,  and  in  a  way  I  rather 
respect  them.  But,  if  you  please,  we  will  not  dis- 
cuss the  question  any  deeper.  We  shall  not 
agree  over  it." 

With  the  exception  of  Captain  Meadey,  whom 
I  disliked  cordially,  the  after-guard  of  the  Rabbit 
were  as  nice  a  set  of  clean-run  young  Englishmen 
as  one  could  wish  to  meet  anywhere.  Fluellen, 
according  to  his  usual  habit,  kept  pretty  much  to 
himself,  and  spent  his  time  brooding.  I  didn't, 
I  found  myself  billeted  amongst  the  wardroom 
mess,  and  set  to  work  to  have  as  good  a  time  as 
possible.  All  my  tales  were  new  to  them — liners' 
smoking-room  yarns  don't  drift  out  to  the  navy 
much — and  so  I  had  some  three  thousand  good 


296  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

ones  very  much  at  their  disposal ;  and  I  don't 
mind  owning  I  did  my  best  to  amuse.  In  the  old 
professional  days  it  had  been  part  of  my  duties 
as  purser  to  be  the  most  popular  man  in  the  ship, 
and  I  had  cared  for  such  popularity  with  a  mixed 
crowd  for  what  it  was  worth.  Here  in  the  Rabbit's 
wardroom  it  was  different ;  I  was  amongst  gentle- 
men ;  and  it  filled  me  with  a  pleasant  glow 
that  never  grew  stale  to  see  that  they  really 
liked  me. 

But  living  aboard  the  Rabbit  was  not  altogether 
a  yachting  cruise.  There  was  the  eternal  clean- 
ing, and  drilling,  and  devilment  of  everyday 
routine  ;  and,  moreover,  there  was  the  chasing  of 
Carew  and  his  Clarindella,  and  that  all  hands 
aboard  were  as  keen  upon  as  though  their  lives 
were  staked  on  catching  them. 

We  were  not  long  in  getting  on  to  their  trail. 
North,  along  the  coast,  seemed  the  most  probable 
course,  and  so  that  was  given.  We'd  a  fair  wind 
of  it.  Topgallant  masts  had  been  sent  up,  stun- 
sails  booms  rigged  out — Her  Majesty's  are  the 
only  ships  that  have  carried  stunsails  during  the 
last  dozen  years — and  every  stitch  of  available 
canvas  spread.  It  was  amusing  for  a  merchant 
sailor  to  see  how  these  navy  chaps  took  ten  men 
for  a  one-man  job.  But  there  was  no  denying  the 
fact  that  they  squeezed  the  most  there  was  of 
pace  to  be  got  out  of  their  old  tub ;  and  that, 
with  her  poor  old  relics  of  engines  grunting  and 


THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA  297 

grinding  along  over  their  humble  six,  made  some- 
where very  near  nine  knots  to  the  hour. 

"  By  Jove,"  said  one  sub-lieutenant  to  me,  "if 
she  were  only  clean,  she'd  be  doing  her  ten  and  a 
half  this  minute.  But  it  is  a  long  time  since  she 
was  docked,  poor  old  girl,  and  there  are  weeds  six 
feet  long  on  her  bottom,  not  to  mention  barnacles. 
Look  at  her  copper  when  she  lifts.  By  Jove,  did 
you  ever  see  anything  so  foul  ?  " 

A  merchant  barque  of  the  same  size  would  have 
had  -four  men  and  a  mate  to  each  watch,  and  with 
the  watches  eighty  strong  here  they  made  light 
work  of  the  sail  handling.  We  sighted  our  port ; 
we  sailed  straight  into  the  anchorage  with  every 
stitch  set,  and  then  had  everything  sent  down  in 
the  gaskets  almost  whilst  she  rounded  up  to  an 
anchor.  It  was  fine,  really.  I  had  never  come 
across  anything  quite  so  smart  before.  And  I 
have  seen  a  good  few  wind-jammers,  too,  from  a 
steamer's  rail. 

A  boat-boom  swung  out,  a  boat  was  lowered, 
manned,  and  armed,  all  with  the  same  clock-work 
speed — of  course,  they  were  strong  enough 
manned  to  do  everything  at  once,  and  I  expect 
they  wanted  to  let  the  merchant  service  see  the 
best  they  could  do — and  off  a  party  went  to  the 
beach  under  the  gunnery  lieutenant.  We  saw 
them  land — officer  in  full  rig,  marines  in  pith  hel- 
mets, jacks  in  straw  hats,  and  all  the  rest  of  it — 
and  then  back  again,  as  hard  as  they  could  split, 


298  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

with  the  ten  oars  still  keeping  beautiful  time. 
They  came  alongside — out  boat-hooks,  toss  oars, 
hand  the  side  ropes  to  the  officer,  and  all  the  rest 
of  it,  just  like  a  play — and  the  gunnery  lieutenant 
went  formally  aft  with  his  report  I  almost  ex- 
pected to  hear  Meadey  demand  to  see  it  in  writing 
before  he  condescended  to  accept  it  officially. 
But  he  did  not  do  that  ;  when  the  pinch  came 
the  man  was  keen  enough,  and  I  gave  them  credit, 
they  got  their  old  relic  of  a  barque  under  weigh 
again  at  the  top  of  her  speed  as  quick  as  one 
wanted  to  see.  But,  of  course,  as  I  say,  they  were 
tremendously  heavily  manned. 

It  seemed  that  we  had  missed  the  Clarindella 
at  this  place  by  a  short  half-dozen  hours.  Carew 
had  paid  his  call,  had  got  himself  formally  acknowl- 
edged President  of  Sacaronduca,  and  had  given 
the  good  people  ashore  the  alternatives  of  having 
their  town  sacked  and  burned  or  of  "subscribing 
ten  thousand  dollars  to  his  military  chest  within 
half  an  hour."  As  he  had  quite  sufficient  force 
to  make  good  his  threats,  the  money  was  raked 
together  and  El  Presidente  Carew  clapped  it  on 
his  ship  and  steamed  away  not  more  than  half 
a  dozen  hours  before  our  arrival.  Where  he  had 
gone  he  naturally  enough  had  not  said  ;  but  as  his 
smoke  was  last  seen  trailing  out  from  the  north- 
wards, it  was  concluded  that  he  was  going  to  raid 
the  coast-towns  up  there  seriatim  ;  and  north- 
wards accordingly  the  Rabbit  went  in  pursuit. 


Fluellen  got  the  gunnery  lieutenant  aside.  Had 
he  picked  up  any  news  of  Don  Juan  Carmoy  ? 
Why  yes,  he  had.  Don  Juan  had  gone  ashore 
with  the  landing  party  from  the  Clarindella,  but 
had  not  returned  on  board.  He  had  helped  at 
the  "  coup  de  main,"  an'd  afterwards  with  an 
escort  of  six  men  had  ridden  off  up-country.  The 
gunnery  lieutenant  concluded  that  it  was  a  case 
of  thieves  falling  out,  and  congratulated  Don  Juan 
on  his  diminished  chance  of  ornamenting  the  Rab- 
bit's main  yardarm.  What  did  Fluellen  think  ? 

"Well,"  said  Fluellen,  "knowing  a  bit  about 
the  country,  and  knowing  a  bit  about  the  ways  of 
Carmoy,  and  the  directions  where  he  has  interests 
I'm  sorry  to  say  I  don't  agree  with  you  in  the 
very  least  whatever.  I  wish  I  did.  If  there  had 
been  disagreement  between  those  two  there  would 
have  been  shooting  also.  No,  what's  happened 
is  this  :  Carmoy's  off  to  raise  a  guerilla  force  on 
land.  This  sea  work  is  only  a  temporary  affair 
till  they  rake  a  little  hard  cash  together.  They 
are  succeeding  at  it  finely,  they  are  strong  enough 
to  have  divided  forces  already  ;  and  presently 
you'll  see  Carew  will  retire  from  the  salt  water 
and  try  his  luck  on  land  again." 

"  If  the  Rabbit  doesn't  catch  him." 

"  If  the  Rabbit  does  not  catch  and  stop  him," 
Fluellen  agreed.  "  I  devoutly  hope  she  may. 
Then  we  shall  have  more  chance  of  running  down 
the  other  scoundrel  ashore." 


300  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

But  as  the  hours  wore  on  it  became  more  and 
more  evident  we  had  lost  the  trail  again  after  that 
first  picking  it  up.  This  part  of  the  Sacaronducan 
coast  which  we  were  searching  is  dotted  with  small 
towns  and  villages,  and  we  called  at  them  all  in 
turn,  but  nowhere  had  they  any  news  of  the 
Clarindella.  Both  Fluellen  and  I  endeavoured 
to  give  Meadey  some  items  of  local  knowledge, 
and  some  suggestions  as  to  where  the  missing 
raider  might  have  disappeared  to  ;  but  the  utmost 
we  could  extort  from  him  was  a  pompous  assur- 
ance that  he  was  captain  of  H.  M.  S.  Rabbit,  and 
would  take  advice  from  no  one  except  officers  in 
his  own  service  who  chanced  to  be  his  seniors. 

Accordingly  we  worked  our  way  up  the  coast, 
persisting  in  these  useless  calls  till  we  got  to  a 
place  where  there  was  a  telegraph  office,  and  there 
received  news  by  wire  that  Carew  was  industriously 
raiding  the  dye-wood  exporting  towns  to  the 
southward.  Upon  which,  of  course,  it  was  'bout 
ship  and  back  again  as  hard  as  we  could  go. 

We  came  upon  the  Clarindella  at  last  in  Pueblo 
Bay,  just  as  her  people  were  in  the  midst  of 
making  negotiations  with  Pueblo  town.  It  was 
said  afterwards  that  Carew  was  going  to  leave  her 
at  this  point  whether  we  turned  up  or  no ;  but 
there  is  no  doubt  that  our  coming  was  quite  un- 
expected and  unprepared  for. 

Pueblo  Bay  is  not  narrow,  but  it  has  deep 
water  only  between  the  two  lines  of  buoys  which 


THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA   301 

run  down  its  middle.  The  town  is  some  mile 
and  a  half  up  a  small  estuary,  at  the  further  end, 
which  has  an  easy  bar  at  its  mouth. 

Our  glasses  showed  us  the  Clarindella  from  a 
long  distance,  and  probably  theirs  showed  us  to 
them  about  the  same  time.  Of  the  Rabbit's 
people  no  one  in  the  least  doubted  that  this  des- 
perate fellow  Carew  would  fight  his  stolen 
steamer  to  the  last  gasp,  and  they  could  not  have 
had  any  entertainment  ahead  that  would  have 
pleased  them  better.  But  there  was  no  individual 
stepping  out  of  rank.  The  machine-like  disci- 
pline went  on  as  usual,  and  when  the  Rabbit  was 
cleared  for  action  and  got  into  fighting  trim  it 
was  all  done  exactly  as  it  had  been  practised  a 
thousand  times  before,  exactly  according  to  text- 
book and  Admiralty  instructions. 

Myself,  I  had  very  strong  doubts  as  to  whether 
there  would  be  a  fight  at  all.  Carew  was  not  par- 
ticular at  the  best  of  times,  and  just  now  he  was 
pretty  desperate.  But  even  he,  I  judged,  would 
not  go  so  far  as  to  make  himself  a  perpetual  out- 
law by  deliberately  trying  to  destroy  a  British 
war-ship.  He  was  a  man  of  infinite  resource,  and 
he  would  probably  see  some  way  of  wriggling  out 
of  the  trap  which  he  had  yet  to  discover. 

It  was  rather  with  surprise,  then,  that  I  saw  a 
tiny  thread  of  grey  steam  jet  out  from  the  Clarin- 
della's  bows  as  her  windlass  hove  up  an  anchor, 
and  with  considerable  astonishment  that  I  saw 


302  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

her  get  under  way  and  steer  towards  us  down  the 
estuary.  She  had  a  surf  boat  towing  alongside, 
and  when  she  was  over  the  bar  and  well  into  the 
smooth,  muddy  waters  of  the  bay  we  saw  half  a 
dozen  men  get  down  into  this,  cast  off  the  painter, 
and  row  back  towards  the  town. 

"  There  go  the  pilot  and  non-combatants,"  said 
Fluellen  to  me.  "  The  ass  is  going  to  fight — after 
all.  What  an  insane  fool." 

"  He'd  better  put  another  hand  at  the  wheel 
then,"  said  I.  "She's  steering  shockingly  badly. 
They're  yawing  her  about  all  over  the  place. 
She'll  be  out  of  the  fairway  directly.  Look  at  her." 

"  I  wonder  what's  her  game.  I  can't  see  any- 
one on  her  bridge,  or  on  her  decks  either  for  that 
matter.  They'll  be  all  keeping  very  closely  out 
of  shot." 

"  That's  hardly  Carew's  way.  Perhaps  he  isn't 
on  board." 

"  Perhaps  nobody's  on  board.  By  Jove,  that's 
it.  They've  fired  up  all  the  furnaces  will  hold, 
turned  steam  full  on,  lashed  the  wheel  amidships, 
and  left  her  to  take  her  chance  and  do  the  worst 
she  can." 

Captain  Meadey,  who,  to  give  him  his  due,  was 
sharp  enough,  had  understood  this  state  of  affairs 
as  soon  as  we  did,  and  found  himself  on  the  horns 
of  a  dilemma.  With  his  own  low-powered,  slow- 
turning  ship,  he  would  find  it  very  hard  to  avoid 
the  Clarindella  if  he  got  to  close  quarters  with 


THE  CORNERED  CLARINDELLA  303 

her  and  she  took  it  into  her  head  to  ram  him  ;  if 
he  left  her  alone  she  might  very  possibly  run 
ashore  and  destroy  herself,  which  would  score  to 
his  discredit ;  and  if  he  let  her  pass  out  to  sea, 
the  desertion  might  turn  out  to  be  a  ruse,  and  he 
would  be  finely  laughed  at  as  another  of  Carew's 
gulls. 

There  was  small  enough  time  for  decision. 
The  Clarindella  was  nearing  him  at  the  best  of 
her  twelve-knot  gait,  and  I  must  say  he  took  his 
risks  like  a  man.  He  got  his  clumsy,  slow,  old 
vessel  turned  with  her  head  away  from  the  shore. 
The  unmanned  ship  came  chasing  after  him,  yaw- 
ing first  to  this  side,  then  to  that.  She  drew 
nearer  and  still  nearer,  threatening  the  gunboat's 
stern  with  her  sheering  knife-like  bow,  and 
Meadey  paraded  his  bridge,  white-gloved,  calm, 
and  pompous  as  usual.  But  for  all  his  iciness 
and  his  affectations  he  was  a  good  enough  sailor 
when  it  came  to  the  pinch,  and  knew  what  he  was 
doing.  He  gave  his  orders,  and  they  were  re- 
peated like  clock  work ;  and  as  the  Clarindella 
came  alongside,  the  Rabbit  lunged  over  and  laid 
her  aboard. 

Officers  and  crew  were  ready  for  the  manoeuvre. 
No  sooner  had  the  iron  plating  rasped  against  the 
gunboat's  wooden. sides  than  they  paraded  on  the 
white  hammocks  that  topped  her  rail,  and  scram- 
bled over  on  to  the  Clarindella's  dirty  decks  with 
an  orderly  armed  torrent.  In  another  moment 


304  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  ships  were  separated  again  and  the  quicker 
vessel  shot  ahead.  But  then  some  of  the  invaders 
got  down  to  her  engine-room,  and  the  propeller 
stopped,  steam  snorted  from  her  escape  pipes, 
and.  a  minute  later  she  had  lost  way  and  was 
awaiting  the  war-ship's  orders. 

In  the  waist  below  us  that  stuffy  little  person, 
the  owner  of  the  Clarindella,  was  shedding  tears 
of  joy  as  his  eyes  gloated  over  his  refound  treas- 
ure ;  and  on  the  bridge  above  us  was  Captain 
Meadey,  unsmiling,  pompous,  and  imperturbable  ; 
and  Fluellen  and  I  were  as  powerless  to  move 
one  as  the  other.  They  had  got  their  steamboat 
back,  and  that  was  all  they  seemed  to  care  about. 
That  the  man  who  had  escaped  would  continue  to 
be  a  pest  to  Sacaronduca  troubled  them  not  one  jot. 

But  Carew's  evasion  was  a  very  real  worry  to 
Fluellen  and  myself.  We  had  been  sent  out  to 
catch  him,  and  so  far  we  had  failed  dismally.  It 
was  no  excuse  according  to  President  Briggs's  code 
that  we  had  failed  through  no  fault  of  our  own. 
And  if  in  the  meanwhile  Carew  made  himself  a 
further  nuisance  to  the  wretched  country,  Briggs 
was  quite  as  likely  as  not  to  hold  us  directly  re- 
sponsible, and  have  us  stuck  up  against  a  wall  and 
shot,  if  so  be  he  could  contrive  to  lay  hands  upon  us. 

So  we  were  keenly  enough  anxious  to  get 
ashore  and  pick  up  Carew's  trail,  without  further 
delay,  and  use  the  authorised  forces  of  the  country 
to  crush  him  out  of  existence. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE    END    OF  CAREW'S    GUERILLAS 

AND  now  it  becomes  my  duty  to  tell  of  the 
final  disbanding  of  Carew's  most  capable  gang  of 
ruffians,  and  the  final  solving  of  the  marriage 
question  between  him  and  Donna  Delicia. 

Fluellen  and  I  said  good-bye  to  the  Rabbit  and 
her  people  (by  Captain  Meadey's  most  kind  and 
formal  permission),  and  got  ashore  at  Pueblo. 
Carew  had  oppressed  the  place  ruthlessly,  and 
being  still  sore  from  their  skinning,  any  enemy  of 
Carew's  was  a  friend  of  theirs.  Indeed,  the  good 
folks  of  Pueblo  gave  us  a  public  reception  ; 
wanted  us  to  stay  and  be  feted  with  fireworks,  a 
ball,  and  a  banquet,  on  three  successive  nights  ; 
and  in  fact  fairly  bubbled  with  their  demonstra- 
tions of  loyalty  to  the  Briggs  regime.  We  could 
go  hunting  after  that  devil  Carew  "  manana " 
they  said ;  but  we  pointed  out  that  the  "  manana  " 
principle  would  have  to  be  suspended  if  Carew 
was  to  be  caught,  and  so,  as  they  honestly  wished 
the  man  every  ill,  and  as  they  themselves  were 
not  called  upon  to  hustle  personally  for  his  cap- 
ture, they  provided  us  with  four  good  horses,  and 
20  305 


306  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

gave  us  a  shower  of  blessings  and  fireworks  as  a 
send-off. 

It  was  not  difficult  to  follow  in  Carew's  track. 
He  had  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  his  company, 
and  they  did  not  carry  a  baggage  train.  Carew's 
idea  for  supplying  the  commissariat  might  not 
be  pleasant  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  country 
he  passed  through,  though  it  was  eminently  satis- 
factory from  a  military  standpoint.  He  had  a 
gift  for  foraging  that  we  of  the  Expeditionary 
Force  at  one  time  used  to  describe  as  heavenly, 
though  I  can  quite  imagine  that  the  people  he 
foraged  from  would  set  down  his  peculiar  talent 
as  emanating  from  somewhere  extremely  far  from 
heaven. 

On  this  particular  march  he  and  his  men  always 
swapped  the  mount  they  bestrode  for  a  better  so 
soon  as  it  came  into  their  sight ;  they  always  con- 
trived to  halt  at  some  good  plump  village,  which 
they  squeezed  of  everything  available  before  they 
left  it.  Let  them  receive  smiles  and  no  opposition, 
and  they  were  the  mildest-mannered  brigands 
imaginable ;  they  would  be  civil  to  the  men  and 
more  than  civil  to  the  ladies.  But  let  any  irri- 
table person  object  to  parting  with  the  cream  of  his 
stock,  and  show  an  ugly  front  in  defence  of  his 
fancied  rights,  and  the  face  of  things  would  change 
at  once.  With  equal  glibness  these  predatory 
gentlemen  would  hang  the  objector  to  a  branch  of 
one  of  the  village  shade-trees  as  an  example  to  his 


THE  ENDOFCAREW'S  GUERILLAS  307 

fellow-rustics,  and  would  loudly  profess  their  entire 
willingness  to  provide  similar  tutoring  for  anyone 
else  who  desired  it. 

Like  the  late  Father  O'Flynn,  Sir  William  Carew 
undoubtedly  "  had  a  wonderful  way  with  him." 
It  was  seldom  that  he  had  to  resort  to  these 
disciplinary  hangings.  The  villagers  who  came  in 
for  his  visits  rendered  up  what  he  was  pleased  to 
covet  with  the  best  grace  they  could  muster.  In- 
deed, during  the  whole  of  that  chase  we  only  came 
across  two  authentic  instances  where  he  had 
hanged  obstructionists,  and  only  a  paltry  three 
who  had  been  in  any  way  damaged  by  gunshots. 
In  Sacaronduca,  of  course,  they  regard  these  mat- 
ters more  lightly  than  they  do  in  England  ;  indeed, 
the  Spaniard  of  Central  America  would  feel  dull 
without  his  periodical  revolution  and  occasional 
irruption  of  self-styled  guerillas  into  his  dwelling- 
place.  Such  a  state  of  things  has  always  been 
part  of  the  course  of  life  since  the  countries  there- 
abouts threw  off  the  hated  yoke  of  Spain.  They 
had  a  firm  government  then  and  personal  security. 
Now  they  have  very  little  government  at  all  and 
no  personal  security  worth  speaking  about. 

But  still,  being  human,  they  are  apt  to  resent 
being  robbed  after  the  event,  and  as  a  consequence 
we  received  excellent  treatment  and  full  informa- 
tion as  we  scurried  along  at  the  guerillas'  heels. 
We  had  two  good  horses  apiece  to  ride  turn  and 
turn  about,  but  it  took  us  all  we  knew  not  to  lose 


308  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

ground.  We  did  not,  you  understand,  want  to  do 
anything  so  Quixotic  as  catch  the  fellows  up  just 
then,  as  that  would  have  spelled  useless  suicide. 
We  knew,  if  you  will  remember,  that  Don  Juan 
Carmoy  had  gone  on  ahead  presumably  on  the 
expectation  of  raising  a  force  in  his  own  particular 
country ;  we  noted  with  grim  enjoyment  that 
Carew  and  his  ruffians  were  heading  for  Carmoy's 
district ;  and  we  held  the  amiable  hope  that  we 
should  be  able  to  entirely  upset  their  little  plans. 
Twice  we  came  across  telegraph  wires  and  jerked 
off  lengthy  messages  to  Briggs  at  Dolores,  to  Cof- 
fin, who  was  commanding  at  Los  Angeles,  and 
elsewhere  ;  and  three  times  where  more  modern 
communication  was  impossible,  we  despatched 
mounted  couriers  to  the  nearest  wire  office  ;  and 
in  fact  kept  all  our  chiefs  posted  as  accurately  as 
if  they  had  been  riding  with  Carew  themselves. 

In  this  way,  then,  both  Carew  and  Juan  Carmoy 
were  being  caught  at  a  distinct  disadvantage,  and 
although  we,  like  them,  were  quite  ignorant  of  the 
measures  that  would  be  taken  for  their  embarrass- 
ment, we  had  this  advantage :  we  were  compla- 
cently certain  that  our  friends  would  be  up  and 
doing  to  get  in  a  heavy  blow  at  them,  whilst  they 
so  far  were  quite  unaware  that  their  movements 
were  known. 

Railways,  as  I  have  said  before,  were  conspic- 
uous in  Sacaronduca  by  their  absence  ;  roads  were 
remarkable  for  their  vileness ;  and  in  fact  transit, 


THE  END  OF  CAREW'S  GUERILLAS  309 

especially  transit  of  troops  with  baggage,  was 
everywhere  tedious  and  slow.  But  it  appeared 
that  Carew  was  not  the  only  man  with  energy. 
Within  two  hours  of  receiving  the  first  of  our 
wires,  Briggs  had  got  a  couple  of  army  corps  in 
movement  from  either  end  of  the  country.  They 
were  to  travel  in  light,  marching  order.  A  des- 
perate strait  requires  heroic  remedies,  they  were  to 
forage  as  they  went  on,  after  the  manner  of  the 
man  they  were  hunting.  By  means  of  well- 
mounted  scouts  they  kept  always  in  touch  with  the 
telegraph  line,  and  as  our  wires  twinkled  into 
Dolores,  Briggs,  who  had  taken  up  his  quarters 
night  and  day  in  the  receiving  office,  jerked  out 
corresponding  orders  to  his  troops. 

It  was  like  a  game  of  chess  for  Briggs,  with  a 
kingdom  and  Donna  Delicia  for  the  stake. 

Speaking  of  Donna  Delicia,  or  Lady  Carew,  as 
I  should  perhaps  more  correctly  style  her,  you 
would  probably  like  to  know  how  she  viewed  this 
final  struggle,  which  was  to  decide  which  of  the 
two  men  was  really  to  be  her  husband.  But  on 
that  point  I  can  give  absolutely  no  information. 
The  lady  stayed  during  all  these  events  at  the 
palace  of  Donna  Julia  Carmoy  in  Los  Angeles ; 
living  in  nunnish  retirement,  and  letting  no  word 
of  her  wishes  be  carried  away  by  a  living  soul. 
That  she  was  well  posted  in  what  was  going  on  I 
cannot  but  believe.  Since  I  have  first  observed 
her  she  has  always  had  the  knack  of  gathering 


310  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

information  without  apparent  exertion,  and  she 
has  also  possessed  in  high  degree  the  talent  for 
entirely  concealing  her  thoughts  and  plans. 

The  denouement  was  half  worked  out  before 
Fluellen  and  I  had  any  notion  that  Briggs  had 
started  to  pull  the  strings.  An  overwhelming 
array  of  troops  had  marched  into  Carmoy's 
country  from  every  side,  and  had  crumpled  him 
up  completely.  Some  few  had  escaped,  Don 
Juan  Carmoy  amongst  them  ;  but  as  a  righting 
force  they  might  be  considered  as  nil.  The  few 
survivors,  who  owed  their  escape  to  the  ex- 
cellence of  their  mounts,  made  a  junction  with 
Carew  just  before  he,  too,  got  hemmed  in,  and  I 
am  bound  to  admit  that  the  whole  lot  of  them, 
Spanish  or  English,  or  whatever  nationality 
they  might  be,  fought  with  equal  pluck  and  reck- 
lessness. 

They  were  pinned  beyond  hope  of  escape. 
They  first  came  within  touch  of  the  Presidential 
troops  in  a  wide  valley  walled  in  by  a  couple  of 
those  inaccessible  mountain  ranges  so  peculiar  to 
the  country.  Carew  smelt  the  trap  at  once.  He 
was  no  man  to  accept  an  engagement  unneces- 
sarily. He  doubled  like  a  hare,  and  made  back 
as  hard  as  he  could  race  for  the  pass  by  which  he 
had  entered  the  valley.  He  found  it  occupied 
by  three  batteries  of  horse  artillery,  well  posted, 
and  a  battalion  of  infantry  to  cover  them.  They 
gave  them  a  shell  at  three  thousand  yards  which 


THE  END  OF  CAREW'S  GUERILLAS  311 

bowled  over  two  of  his  men.  and  he  quite  saw 
that  his  little  force  could  be  annihilated  before 
he  could  ride  down  the  guns.  It  was  not  a  case 
of  Balaclava  over  again,  or  he  was  quite  the  man 
to  have  risked  it.  He  was  face  to  face  with  a 
sheer  impossibility,  and  he  accepted  the  only 
alternative  that  was  left.  He  and  the  men  with 
him  knew  quite  well  that  it  would  be  Briggs's 
orders  "  to  take  no  prisoners  ;  "  and  that  as  there 
was  no  escape,  they  had  got  to  die.  But  they 
naturally  made  up  their  minds  to  die  as  hard  as 
possible. 

They  galloped  back  to  the  centre  of  the  valley, 
over  flat  pasture  land,  with  not  an  atom  of  cover. 
The  ground  was  burnt  bare  with  summer  drought. 
There  were  no  crops,  no  fences,  no  dykes ;  there 
was  not  so  much  as  a  stone  to  offer  shelter  from 
rifle-fire ;  and,  of  course,  they  had  neither  time 
nor  tools  to  throw  up  entrenchments.  They 
were  less  than  a  hundred  and  fifty,  all  told ;  the 
troops  that  were  closing  round  them  numbered 
all  of  fifteen  thousand  ;  and  the  one  earthly  am- 
bition that  was  left  to  them  was  to  kill  as  many 
of  that  force  as  they  could  manage  before  they 
themselves  were  wiped  out. 

Some  sort  of  a  rampart  to  fight  behind  was  the 
first  necessity,  and  so  they  cut  the  throats  of 
their  horses  (to  save  precious  cartridges)  and 
dragged  the  carcasses  into  a  rude  square ;  and  as 
the  subsequent  fight  went  on  and  their  numbers 


312  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

thinned,  they  added  to  this  wall  the  bodies  of 
their  fallen  comrades. 

Only  one  thing  could  save  them  from  annihila- 
tion at  the  outset.  As  a  natural  move  the  guns 
were  ordered  up  at  once,  but  there  was  a  broad 
morass  at  the  further  end  of  the  valley,  and  in 
this  every  single  piece  stuck  in  spite  of  the  fren- 
zied efforts  of  the  drivers  to  get  their  teams  on 
solid  land  again.  So  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  Presidential  troops  there  were  the  alternatives 
of  a  long-distance  rifle-fire  which  would  be  in- 
effective against  men  already  in  cover,  or  of  a 
charge  across  the  open,  which  would  probably  be 
so  costly  in  human  life  during  its  first  stages  that 
the  survivors  would  never  charge  home.  And  so 
for  the  while  the  little  band  of  men  behind  the 
dead  horses  were  left  unmeddled  with,  whilst 
their  enemies  prepared  more  elaborate  schemes 
for  their  destruction. 

It  was  at  this  point  in  this  game  of  life  and 
death  that  Fluellen  and  I  spurred  our  tired  horses 
into  the  further  pass  behind  the  mountains.  We 
came  upon  our  own  fellows  suddenly  round  an 
angle  of  the  defile,  and  were  very  nearly  shot  by 
them  before  we  could  explain  exactly  who  we 
were.  However,  they  gave  us  the  great  news, 
and  a  nip  of  fiery  "  aquardiente "  to  wash  it 
down,  and  on  we  cantered  with  a  couple  of  ragged 
troopers  as  escort.  We  exchanged  greetings  with 
the  officers  of  the  main  guard  in  the  pass,  and 


THE  ENDOFCAREW'S  GUERILLAS  313 

pushed  on  into  the  valley.  A  broad  belt  of 
morass  lay  beyond,  with  the  guns  almost  out  of 
sight  in  black  sludge,  and  the  gun  teams  mired 
to  the  belly,  and  the  drivers,  gunners,  and  escort 
cursing  and  working  like  men  half  demented. 
They  had  given  up  trying  to  get  the  batteries 
across  the  morass,  and  were  doing  their  best  to 
scramble  back  on  to  dry  land  again,  and  even  in 
this  they  did  not  seem  very  successful.  How- 
ever, it  was  clear  they  could  any  way  be  counted 
as  out  of  action,  and  so  neither  Fluellen  nor  I 
stayed  to  bear  a  hand,  but  flogged  and  spurred 
our  own  horses  through  the  swamp,  and  by  dint 
of  frantic  exertion  managed  to  get  them  out  at 
the  further  side. 

It  was  clear  that  both  of  our  animals  were  pretty 
nearly  foundered,  though,  perhaps,  if  anything, 
Fluellen's,  which  carried  a  stone  less  than  mine, 
had  got  a  little  more  left  in  it.  The  necessity 
for  keeping  together  had  ended.  We  had  agreed 
to  make  first  of  all  for  the  Headquarter  Staff  at 
the  further  side  of  the  valley,  and  Fluellen 
quickly  drew  ahead.  I  could  get  no  more  than 
a  walk  out  of  my  poor  beast,  whilst  he  managed 
to  screw  his  up  into  some  sort  of  a  canter.  And 
so,  as  I  say,  he  pulled  ahead  of  me.  But  I  saw, 
to  my  surprise,  that  he  was  going  out  of  the 
agreed-upon  direction.  He  was  making  straight 
for  the  little  knot  of  men  behind  the  dead  horses, 
and  with  a  shiver  I  guessed  that  his  intention 


314  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

was  to  have  it  out,  once  and  for  all,  with  Carmoy. 
I  even  sent  a  shout  after  him  to  come  back,  and 
.he  turned  and  waved  his  hand  at  me  in  farewell, 
and  then  rode  on  again.  To  prevent  mistake  he 
pulled  out  a  white  handkerchief  and  let  that 
stream  in  the  air  as  he  rode. 

Struggling  on  behind  with  my  beaten  horse,  I 
saw  every  scrap  of  what  followed,  and  the  wait- 
ing soldiery  saw  it  also.  Fluellen  rode  up  to 
within  speaking  distance  of  the  square,  and  then 
dismounted.  Hi's  animal  stood  with  limply 
hanging  head,  a  clear,  small  picture  to  me  under 
the  distant  sunshine.  Its  rider,  with  the  white 
handkerchief  still  fluttering,  walked  up  to  the 
square  and  apparently  talked.  He  was  a  mile 
away,  and,  of  course,  I  could  hear  no  words ;  but 
my  eyesight  is  good,  and  the  day  was  clear,  and, 
but  for  the  absence  of  sound,  I  might  have  been 
looking  at  them  close  to  through  the  wrong  end 
of  a  telescope. 

The  men  behind  the  wall  of  dead  horses  were 
sitting  down  eating  and  drinking.  They  had  got 
a  meal  with  them,  and  were  making  the  most  of 
it,  with  the  deliberate  foreknowledge  that  it  was 
the  last  meal  that  any  of  them  would  eat  on 
earth.  There  was  not  a  doubt  as  to  who  Fluellen 
had  gone  to  talk  to ;  there  was  small  enough 
doubt  as  to  what  was  his  business.  But  the  man 
he  was  seeking  preferred  to  finish  his  food  before 
answering  the  challenge  ;  and  even  after  that  he 


THE  ENDOFCAREW'S  GUERILLAS  315 

must  needs  roll  a  final  cigarette ;  for  when  he 
stepped  outside  the  fence  of  the  dead  horses,  I 
could  clearly  see  the  blue  smoke  floating  behind 
him.  However,  there  was  no  more  waiting  then. 
They  marched  out  together  twenty  yards  away 
from  the  square ;  stood  for  a  moment  back  to 
back ;  strode  out  with  simultaneous  steps  twelve 
yards  either  way  ;  then  turned  with  quickness  ; 
then  opened  fire. 

Each  went  down  to  the  first  shot,  but  each 
continued  firing  from  the  ground.  How  many 
shots  they  fired  from  that  position  I  could  not 
tell,  as  the  smoke  mixed  things  up  ;  but  pres- 
ently the  shooting  ceased,  and  I  saw  Carmoy  be- 
gin to  crawl  slowly  and  painfully  towards  his 
enemy.  Fluellen  half  sat  up  and  tried  to  crawl 
to  closer  quarters  also,  but  without  any  effective 
result.  It  turned  out  afterwards  he  was  shot 
through  the  backbone  and  was  partly  paralysed. 
However,  his  pistol  hand  was  steady  enough  yet, 
and  when  the  pair  of  them  came  almost  to  hand- 
grips, he  blew  out  Carmoy's  brains  quite  as 
effectively  as  Carmoy  did  that  service  to  him. 
And  so  that  episode  ended,  and  the  world  was 
poorer  by  two  brave  men  and  two  strong  haters. 

Byit  in  the  meanwhile,  if  Carew's  brigands  and 
myself  were  watching  this  duel,  the  Presidential 
troops  were  otherwise  employed.  Three  regi- 
ments of  them  were  advancing  to  the  attack,  and 
when  they  came  within  rifle  shot  they  opened  out 


316  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

into  skirmishing  order.  It  was  a  smart  bid  of 
parade  work,  and  the  fellows  in  the  square  were 
not  unkind  enough  at  first  to  spoil  the  show  by 
shooting.  Instead,  some  reckless  scamp  amongst 
them  struck  up  the  Eton  Boat  song,  and  the  whole 
of  them  chimed  in,  trolling  it  out  at  the  tops  of 
their  voices.  They  all  seemed  to  know  the 
words — "  Jolly  boating  weather,"  and  all  the  rest 
of  it — and  I  know  my  eyes  got  wet  as  I  listened. 
They  were  such  fine  chaps.  It  did  seem  such  a 
blazing  pity  they  could  not  have  run  straight. 
And  now  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  the  whole  lot 
of  them  had  just  got  to  be  shot,  out  of  mischief's 
way. 

However,  theirs  was  going  to  be  no  tame  exe- 
cutioner's finale.  They  coolly  finished  their  song, 
and  then  applied  cheek  and  shoulder  to  the  rifle- 
butt.  They  were  all  of  them  cool,  careful  shots, 
and  they  put  in  some  pretty  practice.  The  range 
was  long,  but  they  managed  to  cut  up  the  ad- 
vance considerably.  The  attackers  in  the  mean- 
while were  not  idle.  They  had  to  fire  at  men 
ensconced  behind  a  breastwork,  but  they  fired  for 
the  cover  the  smoke  gave  them,  and  also  to 
hearten  themselves  up.  Spanish  troops  cannot 
storm  a  place  under  a  heavy  fire  if  they  are  not 
allowed  to  do  a  little  shooting  in  return. 

In  this  way,  then,  they  advanced  upon  the 
square  from  two  sides,  alternately  firing  from  the 
knee,  and  loading,  and  then  rushing  forward  to 


THE  END  OF  CAREW'S  GUERILLAS  317 

fire  again.  The  plain  behind  them  was  dotted 
with  quiet  dead  and  struggling  wounded  ;  and  as 
they  grew  nearer  the  marksmanship  of  Carew's 
men  grew  more  deadly.  But  since  they  were 
sending  fifty  bullets  against  the  square  for  every 
one  that  was  received  out  of  it,  they  could  not 
very  well  avoid  now  and  then  scoring  a  hit 
amongst  the  defenders. 

But  the  desperate  men  who  were  selling  their 
lives  so  dearly  did  not  get  flurried.  They  sent 
their  shots  with  murderous  deliberation,  and 
twice  by  concentrating  their  fire  they  drove  back 
whole  blocks  of  the  advancing  line.  Still,  what 
could  even  desperate  valour  do  against  such  over- 
whelming numbers?  They  might  beat  back  a 
handful  of  the  attackers,  but  in  the  meanwhile  a 
regiment  of  others  was  steadily  advancing. 

The  day  was  windless  and  the  sky  was  hot. 
When  the  engagement  began  each  man  of  the 
attackers  travelled  in  his  own  little  halo  of  smoke. 
But  as  the  forces  closed  in,  these  smoke  puffs 
merged  into  one  large  cloud  of  various  degrees  of 
filminess.  The  faintly  acid  taste  of  it  crept  out 
and  made  me  cough  where  I  stood,  an  idle  spec- 
tator. It  was  very  grateful  to  me  that  I  was  not 
officially  obliged  to  take  part  in  that  day's  action. 
From  Carew's  hands  I  had  received  many  slights 
and  injuries;  we  had  still  a  personal  duel  to  set- 
tle up;  and  I  quite  recognised  that  the  welfare  of 
Sacaronduca  demanded  his  final  quenching.  But 


318  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

there  was  no  getting  over  the  fact  that  I  liked 
the  man ;  and  as  I  watched  while  those  ghastly 
preparations  were  being  made  to  kill  him  I  felt 
my  heart  applaud  every  plucky  effort  he  made  in 
his  own  defence,  and  I  was  hard  put  to  it  to  keep 
my  lips  from  following  suit. 

Time  after  time  that  little  band  of  reckless 
men  behind  the  dead  horses  made  the  attacking 
hordes  roll  back  before  the  withering  fire  of  their 
rifles.  Time  after  time  the  Presidential  troops 
were  rallied  by  their  officers,  poured  in  a  venom- 
ous fusilade,  and  with  agitated  little  runs  and 
crouching  halts  re-continued  their  advance. 

The  men  in  the  square  were  falling  fast  now, 
and  the  fire  of  the  survivors  was  slackening. 
Their  ammunition  was  running  out.  With  my 
glasses  I  could  see  them  rummaging  the  cartridge 
cases  on  their  dead  and  wounded.  But  the  end 
was  not  come  yet.  With  desperate  valour  the 
attacking  troops  charged  right  up  to  the  barrier 
of  the  dead  horses.  A  few  of  them  scrambled  in 
and  were  instantly  knocked  on  the  head.  The 
rest  were  beaten  off.  Again  they  came  up  to  the 
attack,  and  again  they  were  furiously  repulsed 
with  knife  and  machete  and  clubbed  carbine. 
And  then  with  a  last  furious  effort  they  swarmed 
over  the  barrier,  and  for  a  while  the  fight  bubbled 
on  an  undistinguishable  mel£e,  and  then  stopped. 

Not  one  of  those  men  who  had  so  bravely  held 
the  square  remained  upon  his  feet,  and  of  the 


THE  ENDOFCAREW'S  GUERILLAS  319 

fallen  all  were  dead.  There  had  been  an  order 
of  the  day  to  "  take  no  prisoners." 

By  Jove  !  No.  There  was  one  fellow  at  any 
rate  very  much  alive.  With  my  own  eyes  I  saw 
him  suddenly  rise  up  off  the  ground,  jump  upon 
a  mounted  officer  who  was  breathing  himself  and 
his  horse  after  the  skirmish,  pluck  him  out  of  the 
saddle,  and  get  there  himself,  and  next  moment, 
with  his  head  upon  the  horse's  mane  and  his  heels 
hard  jammed  against  its  ribs,  he  was  scampering 
away  through  the  scattered  troops  whooping  and 
yelling  like  a  mad  Indian.  At  first  I  had,  some- 
how or  other,  got  the  idea  that  it  was  Carew.  I 
knew  how  hard  Carew  was  to  kill.  But  that 
whoop  and  yell  betrayed  its  owner.  It  was  the 
young  Irishman,  a  couple  of  years  out  from  Har- 
row, whom  I  knew  well  and  liked  sincerely.  I 
watched  that  mad  gallop  of  his  with  a  bumping 
heart.  After  the  first  surprise,  shots  went  after 
him  with  a  hailstorm.  It  seemed  almost  like 
murder.  Was  there  no  chivalry  amongst  these 
brutes? 

But  I  think  I  wronged  them.  Fire  they  had 
to,  but  aim  they  did  not.  I  could  see  the  men 
laughing  as  they  pressed  home  their  triggers,  and 
the  lead  squalls  whistled  harmlessly  past  the  gal- 
loping horse's  flanks. 

The  two  passes  from  the  valley  were  guarded 
still,  and  the  young  fellow  wisely  did  not  tackle 
either  of  them.  He  made  for  the  rocky  wall  at 


320  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

the  side,  left  his  horse,  and  with  a  final  yell  of 
derision,  disappeared.  We  saw  no  more  of  him, 
and  I  may  say  we  did  not  send  to  look ;  but  I 
heard  quite  recently  that  he  escaped,  came  home 
again,  steadied  down,  and  is  at  the  present  moment 
of  writing  High  Sheriff  of  his  county  and  a  likely 
candidate  for  the  next  Parliamentary  election. 

The  scene  outside  that  square  of  dead  horses 
was  too  terrible  to  be  described  here,  and  is  hate- 
ful even  to  remember.  But  with  my  own  eyes  I 
saw  there  the  author  of  all  the  mischief  lying  dead 
with  a  dozen  wounds  on  him,  and  with  a  shock  I 
realised  that  Donna  Delicia,  though  still  Lady 
Carew,  was  again  a  widow,  and  that  the  way  was 
once  more  clear  to  Briggs's  life  ambition. 

But  would  she  marry  him  after  all  that  had 
passed  ?  Well,  that  had  got  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

FLOREAT  SACARONDUCA 

AT  this  point  the  history  of  Sacaronduca,  as  far 
as  I  am  concerned,  must  be  left  for  the  present. 
To  put  the  matter  in  blunt  words,  my  connection 
with  the  country  was  severed  very  shortly  after- 
wards. 

I  do  not  wish  to  pose  as  that  rather  absurd 
thing,  an  injured  man,  but  I  cannot  help  feeling 
aggrieved  that  my  services  were  not  more  ade- 
quately rewarded.  The  truth  was,  Briggs  never 
forgave  me  for  letting  Carew  slip  out  of  Dolores 
in  the  first  instance.  He  quite  admitted  my  ex- 
cuses, but  said  it  was  his  custom  to  reward  actual 
services  only.  I  pointed  out  that  the  manner  in 
which  Fluellen  and  I  had  followed  up  Carew  and 
kept  him  posted  by  wire,  had  enabled  him  to  crush 
the  man  finally,  and  so  extinguished  the  last  op- 
position to  his  Government.  In  a  way  he  ad- 
mitted this.  And  so  he  took  me  back  again  into 
the  Service.  He  could  not  reinstate  me  as  sec- 
retary, he  said,  for  several  reasons,  one  being  that 
the  post  was  already  adequately  filled  up.  But 
he  gave  me  temporarily  a  berth  in  the  Customs, 
which  I  took  for  the  time,  hoping  that  it  would 
21  321 


322  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

soon  turn  into  something  better.  But  it  does  not 
take  a  man  very  long  to  find  when  he  is  perma- 
nently shelved,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year,  as  I  saw 
there  was  going  to  be  no  further  promotion,  I  sent 
in  my  papers  and  cut  the  country  for  good  and 
always. 

But  still  I  shall  be  the  last  to  hold  that  Briggs 
is  bungling  over  the  larger  details  of  his  task.  As 
everyone  who  reads  the  papers  must  know,  the 
Sacaronducan  boom  started  almost  immediately 
after  Briggs  got  settled  in  the  Presidential  chair. 
Holsteins  financed  the  country  with  no  niggard 
allowances ;  and  after  Donna  Delicia  had  visited 
London,  and  had  a  few  further  interviews  with 
that  Baron  Holstein  who  had  the  tenderness  for 
her,  the  sums  his  firm  sent  to  Sacaronduca  were 
still  more  liberal.  The  country's  roads  were 
mended  and  made  suitable  for  wheeled  traffic, 
railways  began  to  sprout  in  half  a  dozen  directions, 
mines  were  exploited,  and  the  agricultural  possi- 
bilities of  the  country  developed  to  an  amazing 
degree.  Imports  were  practically  free  of  duty, 
but  a  firm  restriction  was  put  upon  immigration. 
As  Briggs  had  said  in  his  fore  word,  he  did  not 
choose  to  handicap  his  State  by  making  it  a  dump 
for  the  pauper  refuse  of  Europe.  There  were  lazy 
men  and  unskilled  labour  already  abundant  within 
its  boundaries.  And  so  the  Custom  Houses  re- 
fused to  admit  the  weakly,  the  decrepit,  or  the 
unskilled  artisan. 


FLOREAT  SACARONDUCA         323 

There  was  a  furious  row  over  this  "  inhuman- 
ity," as  it  was  termed  by  American  and  European 
press,  and  by  various  Governments  "  represen- 
tations were  made."  But  President  Briggs  stuck 
to  his  guns.  He  wanted  a  strong  State  and  a 
happy  State  and  a  prosperous  State,  and  he  be- 
lieved that  his  own  method  was  best  for  obtaining 
this  ideal. 

The  country,  as  I  say,  boomed.  There  was 
known  to  be  a  strong  Government  at  its  head ; 
there  were  no  exasperating  legal  restrictions  to 
prevent  a  sane,  clean-minded  man  doing  practi- 
cally as  he  willed.  As  a  consequence  the  best 
type  of  immigrants  trooped  over  in  shoals.  New 
steamer  lines  cropped  up  almost  every  week. 
Commerce  worked  double  tides.  Both  exports 
and  imports  first  doubled  and  then  trebled,  and 
then  quadrupled,  even  before  I  had  left  the  coun- 
try. Occasionally  a  man  misbehaved  himself,  and 
was  shot  as  a  public  nuisance.  But  for  the  most 
part  the  people  of  Sacaronduca  are  not  now  of 
the  sort  to  give  trouble.  They  want  to  live  their 
lives,  and  get  on  with  their  affairs,  and  extract  as 
much  enjoyment  out  of  both  as  possible.  The 
Government  is  firm  and  equable,  and  handled 
entirely  for  their  benefit  by  a  Dictator  who  is 
not  self-seeking;  and  they  are  quite  content  to 
let  him  have  his  own  way,  and  not  to  try  the 
impossible  by  endeavouring  to  turn  or  upset 
him. 


324  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

Yes,  General  Briggs  is  beyond  doubt  quite  the 
most  absolute  head  of  any  State  at  present  exist- 
ing in  the  civilised  world.  But  he  is  not  above 
taking  advice.  He  sees  a  man  with  capacity,  and 
he  forthwith  makes  him  (for  a  term  at  any  rate) 
one  of  his  Privy  Advisers.  I  do  not  say  that  he 
picks  the  best  men :  as  I  have  already  hinted, 
there  was  at  least  one  man  of  his  former  asso- 
ciates whom  he  pointedly  passed  over;  but,  then, 
I  do  not  wish  to  state  that  General  Briggs  is 
without  his  faults. 

However,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  man  is 
intensely  wrapped  up  in  Donna  Delicia,  and  the 
part  I  took,  involuntary  though  it  might  be,  in 
bringing  about  her  marriage  to  Carew  must  always 
have  made  my  presence  jar  upon  him.  But  for 
that  marriage — and  always  supposing  there  was 
any  other  way  of  getting  the  lady  out  of  Maxillo's 
clutches — she  would  by  their  agreement  have 
become  his  wife  so  soon  as  he  became  firmly 
settled  in  the  Presidency.  As  it  was,  the  moment 
of  her  widowhood  was  the  first  moment  of  his 
assured  power,  so  the  situation  was  a  trifle 
awkward.  He  still  wished  to  marry  her  at  once; 
but  this  she  said  was  out  of  reason.  He  pointed 
out  that  she  had  over-ridden  conventionalities 
before.  She  suggested  that  the  circumstances 
then  were  different.  She  admitted  that  her 
marriage  with  Carew  was  nothing  more  than 
nominal,  but  professed  a  regard  for  him  which  I 


FLOREAT  SACARONDUCA         325 

believe  was  sincere.  At  any  rate,  she  insisted  on 
a  widowhood  of  at  least  two  years  before  she 
again  changed  her  state. 

All  this  time  she  had  been  buzzing  about  the 
world  quite  in  her  own  way,  now  in  Dolores,  now 
in  Paris,  next  week  in  Cairo,  and  a  fortnight  later 
coming  back  for  the  London  season.  She  cer- 
tainly does  a  good  deal  of  work  for  Sacaronduca, 
and  it  may  be  that  the  duties  of  State  drag  her 
to  all  these  places.  But  at  the  same  time  she 
very  obviously  manages  to  enjoy  herself  thor- 
oughly. 

At  the  present  moment  of  writing  Delicia  is 
still  (as  I  see  by  this  morning's  paper  in  the 
announcement  of  Holsteins'  ball)  Lady  Carew : 
though  by  the  time  that  this  goes  to  press  she 
may  very  well  have  married  Briggs,  or  again,  on 
the  other  hand,  she  may  still  be  wearing  her  old 
name.  Personally,  I  know  quite  enough  of  her 
not  to  undertake  the  prediction  of  any  of  her 
movements.  And  at  the  same  time,  although  I 
know  that  she  very  much  admires  both  Briggs 
and  his  works,  I  cannot  forget  that  she  has  a  very 
tender  regard  for  poor  old  Billy  Carew. 

However,  latterly  she  has  found  a  little  dis- 
traction by  again  indulging  in  her  match-rnaking 
propensities.  She  had  Donna  Julia  Carmoy  left 
on  her  hands,  and  found  that  sprightly  young 
person  rather  mopy  and  dejected,  and  as  a  con- 
sequence married  her  to  Davis  both  to  provide 


326  THE  FILIBUSTERS 

for  the  lady's  future,  and  to  be  rid  of  her  present 
society.  It  turned  out  that  little  Coffin  also  had 
ambitions  in  this  direction  which  Delicia  (having 
made  up  her  mind)  of  course  over-rode  ;  and  so 
Donna  Julia  is  now  Mrs.  Davis,  and  Coffin  is  big 
game  shooting  in  Central  Africa,  and  Sacaronduca 
has  lost  a  very  smart  cavalry  officer. 


POST  SCRIPTUM. 

I  have  kept  this  open  till  the  last  moment  be- 
fore going  to  press.  Delicia  has  not  yet  married 
President  Briggs.  If  she  does  you  will  see  the 
announcement  in  the  papers.  The  Archbishop 
of  Dolores  will  perform  the  ceremony. 


A     000  045  405     8 


